A viral locker-room call from US President Donald Trump to the US Men’s hockey team for their historic gold at the 2-26 Winter Olympics turned into a familiar cultural firestorm as he joked that an invitation for the women’s team, who also won gold, to his State of the Union speech was less of a choice and more of a legal necessity.
In a video shared online soon after the win, Trump can be heard on speaker phone in a call with the men’s team, inviting them to the address before saying: “We’re gonna have to bring the women’s team, you do know that?” to which the players laugh.
“I do believe I would probably be impeached” if he didn’t invite them, the president added.
US Women’s team declines invitation ‘due to timing’
The women’s team had declined an invitation to attend the State of the Union due to the timing of the address.
The statement on behalf of the women’s team said: “We are sincerely grateful for the invitation,” but that the players would not be attending “due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.”
During the Olympic gold medal-winning US men’s hockey team visit, Trump announced that the women’s hockey team, which also defeated Canada to win gold, will “soon” visit the White House.
After the announcement, the men’s players made thumbs-up gestures while watching from up high.
5 members of US Men’s team miss White House visit
Some 20 members of the men’s team arrived at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, ahead of that evening’s speech at the Capitol, wearing Team USA sweaters.
The US Olympic men’s hockey team also faced a backlash for laughing during the viral call with Trump.
At least five members of the men’s team also did not attend, according to US media reports, with players saying they were heading back to their NHL teams for training.
Trump and “impeachment” jokes
The “impeachment joke” has become a staple of Donald Trump’s rhetorical toolkit—a way to transform a serious constitutional process into a punchline for “political correctness”.
In his world, the word “impeachment” is no longer a legal threat but a shorthand for anything he feels pressured by “the establishment” to do.
Trump has long used the threat of impeachment to mock trivial or culturally sensitive situations. One of the most famous precedents occurred during the 2019 Turkey Pardon, where he joked that the turkeys had already received subpoenas to appear in “Adam Schiff’s basement.”
By 2026, this trope has evolved; rather than mocking the process itself, he began using it to frame social obligations as burdens. To his base, the joke signals that he is being “forced” by an invisible “woke” jury to acknowledge female achievements.
A pattern of “locker room” dismissal
This isn’t the first time Trump’s relationship with champion women’s teams has been defined by friction. In 2019, his public feud with Megan Rapinoe and the US Women’s National Soccer Team saw him backtrack on invitations and lecture the players to “win first before she talks.”
