US Women's hockey team declines invite to Trump's State of the Union

Samuel Perkins

Lead Reporter

The gold medal winning US Olympic hockey team has declined an invite to Donald Trump's State of the Union address, due to scheduling conflicts.

This invite came after Trump spoke with the US men's hockey team via a phone call on Sunday, after the player celebrated their historic Olympic victory. He even offered to send a military plane to bring them to Washington D.C.

Donald Trump stated: “We’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. I could send a military plane or something, if you would like to. It’s the coolest night. It’s the biggest speech,” To which the US men's hockey team responded with screams of "we're in."

Controversially, Trump added: “I must tell you, we’re gonna have to bring the women’s team — you do know that.” If they weren’t invited, the president said, “I do believe I probably would be impeached, OK?” This moment has prompted significant backlash on social media, due to the men's hockey team reactions of laughter.

The women's team have formally denied the invitation, and the men's hockey team have not confirmed the plans, but are likely to attend the event.

A spokesperson from the women's hockey team noted the reason for the team not attending the event in a statement. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”