Jack Hughes Addresses White House Backlash After Team USA’s Golden Goal Moment At Milano Cortina 2026

Jack Hughes is addressing the White House invitation extended to Team USA following the men’s dramatic 2–1 victory over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, Feb. 22.

The 24-year-old hockey star spoke about the criticism he and his teammates faced after accepting a personal phone invitation from President Donald Trump, which came while the team was still in the Olympic locker room celebrating their gold medal win.

When asked by the Daily Mail about the upcoming visit and meeting the president, Hughes — who scored the decisive “golden goal” that delivered the men’s team its first Olympic title since the 1980 Miracle on Ice — said the team is “excited” about the opportunity.

“Everything is so political. We’re athletes. We’re so proud to represent the U.S. and we get the chance to go to the White House, meet the president. You know, we’re proud to be Americans,” he told the outlet. “No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go.”

The conversation then turned to the U.S. women’s hockey team, who declined a White House visit after their own 2–1 overtime gold medal win over Canada on Thursday, Feb. 19.

“They’ve got busy schedules, too,” Hughes said, echoing a statement from a USA Hockey spokesperson who cited “previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games” as the reason for the women’s decision.

“Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today,” the Devils star said. “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.”

He closed his remarks by emphasizing the respect and admiration the men’s team holds for their female counterparts.

“I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them and how proud we are of them,” he said. “And we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us.”

Hughes’ older brother Quinn — also a member of Team USA and an NHL defenseman — addressed the reaction during a video interview on Good Morning America on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

“Yeah, we’re excited to go. It’s something you don’t get to do every Tuesday. It’s going to be special for us, but I’m glad you mentioned the women’s team again. We’re really happy for them,” Quinn said.

“Obviously, a lot going on on social media surrounding our team and their team,” he added. “In the last couple [times] we’ve done a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well. We’re extremely happy to come.”

Their mother, Ellen Hughes — a player development consultant for Team USA women’s hockey — also weighed in after a video surfaced of Trump congratulating the men’s team and joking about extending an invitation to the women.

“These players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country,” Ellen said in part on Today. “They care about humanity, they care about unity and they care about the country.”

Following their gold medal victory at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the U.S. women’s hockey team declined an invitation to attend Trump’s State of the Union address.

The women secured gold in Italy on Thursday, Feb. 19, defeating Canada 2–1 in overtime — their first Olympic title since 2018 after falling to Canada in 2022.

Three days after the men’s victory, Trump congratulated the team by phone in a video shared on social media, calling the win “unbelievable” and inviting them to attend the State of the Union at the U.S. Capitol, followed by a White House celebration.

“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team,” Trump said with a laugh. “You do know that. I do believe I’d probably would be impeached [if the women’s team wasn’t invited].”

FBI Director Kash Patel also drew attention after appearing in locker room celebration videos with the team, later addressing the reaction in a statement posted 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,” Patel wrote.

The U.S. women’s team formally declined a trip to Washington, D.C., in a statement shared with NBC News.

“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 said. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.”

The spokesperson added that the athletes “were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”