Gold medal-winning women's hockey team declines Trump's State of Union invite
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics - Ice Hockey - Women's Victory Ceremony - Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy - February 19, 2026. Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne of United States celebrate with their national flag and gold medals during the victory ceremony REUTERS/Mike Segar

The U.S. women's Olympic hockey team declined an invitation to attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech on Tuesday. USA Hockey released a statement expressing gratitude for the invitation and acknowledging the team's gold medal achievement, though the statement was widely interpreted as a polite rejection. Social media commentators suggested the team's response amounted to effectively telling Trump to "go to hell." The rejection comes after Trump expressed reluctance about inviting the women's team during a phone call with the men's hockey team, which also won gold at the Olympics. Trump told the men's team he would need to invite the women's team, adding that if he didn't, he "probably would be impeached."

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