Political Tribune

Donald Trump, Opinion, Politics

Women’s Hockey Team Declines State Of The Union Invite Following Trump’s Controversial Impeachment Comment

The U.S. women's national team has turned down a chance to attend the State of the Union.

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The U.S. women’s national hockey team, following its gold medal win at the winter Olympics in Milan, is not going to Washington- at least, not this week.

After the men’s team won the gold medal on Sunday, President Donald Trump, during his call with the team, invited them to both attend the State of the Union address on Tuesday and also to subsequently visit the White House for the customary championship team visit. Trump also, to some controversy, begrudgingly declared that he would have to invite the women as well.

On Monday, a spokesperson for the women’s team told NBC that the team would decline the invitation to attend the State of the Union address.

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

However, despite some reports, the women’s team has not turned down an invitation to visit the White House. While the State of the Union address is this Tuesday, a White House visit could technically happen at any time.
The idea of whether sports champions should visit the White House has been a controversial subject in both Trump eras. Last year, there were erroneous reports that the Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, had decided to skip going to the White House. They ultimately attended, although several star players skipped the visit, including quarterback Jalen Hurts. This year, there were numerous reports that the Seattle Seahawks had decided not to go, but in reality, while it doesn’t appear a visit has been scheduled, there’s no evidence the Seahawks have decided not to attend.
And while Trump talked on the call about bringing the men’s hockey team to the White House as soon as this week, that too might be logistically difficult, as USA Today reported Monday. That’s because the NHL season is scheduled to resume on Wednesday, so the men’s players will need to rejoin their teams. The logistics are further complicated by the blizzard in the Northeastern U.S.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library. 
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Stephen Silver

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Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy.

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