Trump hosts US men's field hockey team at White House as women's team declines invitation

President Donald Trump hosted the men's ice hockey team at the White House following its victory over Canada in the Olympic final. The visit included a tour of the presidential headquarters and an official photograph in the Oval Office, hours before the State of the Union.

The team traveled from Miami to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, aboard a C-32 Air Force aircraft assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing, the institution said in a statement. From there they went to the White House for the meeting with the president.

The invitation followed a phone call from Trump after the Olympic gold. According to public statements, the president extended the invitation to the entire campus to also attend his address to Congress.

Videos released by administration officials showed the players during the visit and lined up next to the president for the official photograph. According to reports, five members of the men's team did not participate in the event.

The women's ice hockey team, which also won the gold medal at Milan 2026, was similarly invited to the White House, but declined to attend. In a statement, they said the players had other previously scheduled commitments following the Olympic Games.

"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 spokeswoman for the national team said. "Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate."

During the phone conversation with the men's team, Trump joked that he would "probably be impeached" if he did not extend the same invitation to the women's team.