President Trump Invites Men’s Hockey Team To State Of The Union In Lively Locker Room Call
on Feb 23, 2026
Trump’s Controversial Comment About The Women’s Hockey Team During Invitation For The Men’s Team To Visit The White House Looms Large
Tied 1-1 after the 3rd period, Team USA’s men’s hockey team was in a prime position to join their female counterparts for a gold medal win over Canada… and they swiftly seized that opportunity, winning the game and extending Team USA’s record-breaking gold medal count.
Prior to the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, the record for Team USA was 10 gold medals, earned at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
At the 2026 games, which ended on Feb. 22, Team USA brought home 12 gold medals.
A victory like this at the Olympics is a significant point of pride for any nation, and many members of President Donald Trump‘s administration expressed their enthusiasm over the victory.
Responding to a post on X, formerly Twitter, praising the goalie on Team USA’s hockey team, Connor Hellebuyck, Sec. of War Pete Hegseth wrote, “Now we have a Secretary of War…and a Secretary of Defense!”
See the post, alluding to the change of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, here:
Agreed. 🇺🇸
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) February 22, 2026
Now we have a Secretary of War…and a Secretary of Defense! https://t.co/6WPBz1d3MT
In attendance at the game was FBI Dir. Kash Patel, who could be seen celebrating in the stands.
After the medals had been distributed to the players, Patel was seen celebrating in their locker room, drinking beer and joining the team in singing Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” a moment which can be seen here:
A source sent me this video of FBI Director Kash Patel partying with the US Men's Olympic Hockey team. pic.twitter.com/egjmdhOAF6
— William Turton (@WilliamTurton) February 22, 2026
That Patel was there at all, as well as celebrating with the team in that manner, has drawn some scrutiny, as an armed man was killed that morning by U.S. Secret Service on the grounds of Trump’s estate, Mar-a-Lago.
Responding to those critical of his attendance at the game, Patel wrote on X, “For the very concerned media – yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys- Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth.”
Regardless, Trump utilized Patel’s presence at the game to relay an important message to the Team USA men’s hockey team: an invitation to Trump’s State of the Union address.
Video of Trump’s call with the Men’s Hockey team has gone on to inspire some controversy, with some critiquing the team’s behavior during the call, and others calling attention to Trump’s joke about needing to invite the Women’s Hockey team as well, quipping that he’d be “impeached” if he didn’t.
See the call, as well as responses to the backlash, below…
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Watch Trump Speak On The Phone With Team USA’s Men’s Hockey Team
With Patel in the locker room of the Team USA men’s hockey team, President Trump called Patel and had him put the call on speaker for the freshly minted gold medalists.
“By the way, your goalie played not bad,” said Trump to the delight of the team, which can be seen cracking open a case of Coronas during their call with the president.
Patel then asked the goalie, Connor Hellebuyck, to say “hi” to the president, with Hellebuyck responding, “How ya doin’, Don?”
Continuing, Trump remarked, “I have seen hockey goalie’s have slightly worse games than you. It was unbelievable, and you were all unbelievable, and that team was pretty good that you played.”
Then, pivoting, Trump said, “You know, I’ll tell you what — I just told my people two minutes ago, I didn’t know they’d be calling — I said, ‘We’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, I can send a military plane or something if you would like to — it’s the coolest night, the biggest speech–‘”
From there, the team resoundingly responded that they’d want to be at the State of the Union address, which will be held at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
This State of the Union address will be the first of Trump’s second term, following an address to a joint session of Congress which he delivered last March.
Now, with one year as the 47th president under his belt, Trump has several potentially challenging subjects to address in what is already shaping up to be a heated midterm year.
Between the controversial enforcement of immigration laws, as well as action and intervention in other nations — namely, Venezuela — Trump will have to make the argument to the American people that these efforts are in the nation’s best interest, and not at its expense.
Similarly, these remarks will be made days after the Supreme Court shot down his reciprocal tariff policy, which Trump countered by instating a 15% global tariff through powers permitted by the Trade Act of 1974.
This speech also comes as much of the East Coast of the United States is facing snowy weather, but Trump assured the men’s hockey team that weather wouldn’t prevent them from attending the speech, stating, “The nice thing about being president is, I can tell you, you don’t have to worry about the weather or landing … We don’t care if it’s snowing or the worst blizzard. We sail into that sucker just like you did on the ice today.”
Then, Trump revealed that he will have some special medals to give out to the Team USA men’s hockey team, as well as the women’s team, which he said would be distributed at the White House.
If he didn’t invite the women’s team to the White House as well, Trump quipped, “I do believe I would probably be impeached, OK?”
This comment has been thoroughly criticized, with many also looking to the Men’s Hockey team’s reaction, with many captured on video laughing along.
Ending the call, Patel joked, “I’ll see you Tuesday night, Mr. President. I’m driving the bus, boss.”
Watch Trump invite Team USA’s men’s hockey team to the State of the Union address, here:
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/dofgDnMfKm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 23, 2026
On Feb. 24, ahead of the State of the Union address, the Men’s Hockey team visited the White House, meeting Trump in the Oval Office.
See the moment they meet Trump, here:
See the moment Trump is handed a gold medal, here:
The White House put together this montage of the team’s visit, which can be seen here:
Here, the team can be seen posing in front of the White House:
CHAMPIONS IN THE HOUSE 🦅🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/4yk7I9zqcs
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 24, 2026
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Mother To Jack And Quinn Hughes, Of The Men’s Hockey Team, Responds To Controversy
After video of President Trump’s comments has circulated, including what has been perceived as a condescension to the Women’s Hockey team, the Women’s Team has declined Trump’s invitation to the White House.
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” a USA Hockey spokesperson told NBC News. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.”
Speaking with the Daily Mail, one of the star athletes from the Men’s Hockey team, Jack Hughes (who memorably had some of his teeth damaged during the final match against Canada), addressed the negative reaction the president’s invitation to the team has garnered.
“People are so negative out there and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing,” Jack stated. “Our relationship with [the Women’s Hockey team], over the course of being in the Athletes’ Village, I think we are so tight with their group.”
Concluding his remarks, Jack said, “I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us.”
On the Today Show on Tuesday, Feb. 24, Ellen Hughes, the mother of two of Team USA’s Men’s Hockey team players, Jack and Quinn Hughes, responded to a question about the president’s invitation to the State of the Union and the White House, as well as the controversy coming from that call.
Notably, Ellen is also a player development consultant for the Women’s Team.
Responding to the controversy, Ellen said, “At the end of the day, it’s just about the country, and the moment that these players — both the men and women — can bring so much unity to a group and to a country. People that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that’s all the men’s team and the women’s team care about.”
That unity, she said was was central, adding, “If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing, you know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women — that’s what it’s all about.”
Continuing, she said, “And the other things they cannot control. They care about humanity. They care about unity, and they care about the country.”
“Both teams going undefeated, we couldn’t have written a better story,” Ellen said. “I hope everybody just understands what we did, in the moment, both the men and the women, to bring this country together and let everybody cheer in the same direction.”
Watch Ellen Hughes’ full appearance on the Today Show, during which she also addresses what it was like watching her son’s teeth get knocked out, here:
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