President Trump officially welcomed the United States Men's Olympic Hockey Team to the Oval Office last Tuesday. This special meeting took place just hours before the athletes were scheduled to attend the State of the Union address at Congress. It was a meaningful event to honor the team's courageous spirit and outstanding achievements on the international stage.
In a cordial atmosphere, forward Matthew Tkachuk allowed President Trump to try on the recently won gold medal. The President joked with the athletes, saying:
“I'm not giving this medal back.”
His joke brought laughter from the players, creating a relaxed atmosphere before they headed into important political events. This visit was organized after President Trump fulfilled his commitment to deploy military aircraft to transport the entire team from Miami to Washington D.C.
Honored at the State of the Union Address
President Trump extended invitations to both the men's and women's hockey teams to attend the State of the Union, however, the women's team declined the invitation. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson stated that the relevant parties were urgently arranging logistics due to the tight preparation timeline. Following a tradition dating back to President Reagan's era, Olympic champions are typically honored in the guest section of the House chamber.
Historic Victory Against Canada
The U.S. men's team set a major milestone for national hockey by defeating the Canadian team 2-1 in overtime in Milan last Sunday. Immediately after the victory, President Trump called the team directly to congratulate them. In a shared video clip, FBI Director Kash Patel assisted in connecting the call so the players could hear words of encouragement directly from the President.
After returning from Italy, the team landed in South Florida and held a celebratory party in Miami before flying to Washington via U.S. Air Force aircraft. The White House meeting took place as President Trump was finalizing preparations for his important address to Congress. The presence of the champions was seen as a special highlight, showcasing national pride during the week's events in the capital.
