U.S. men’s hockey star Quinn Hughes recently opened up about Team USA’s plan for attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
Quinn and his brother Jack spoke to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos about potentially attending the State of the Union address after being personally invited by the president following their gold medal win over Canada in the Milan Cortina Olympics.
When asked whether the U.S. men’s hockey team was going to accept Trump’s invite, Hughes said he and his teammates would, and they were “excited” for the opportunity.
“I don't know how much we're allowed to say, but yes. Yeah, we're excited to go,” Hughes said. “It’s something you don't get to do—I don't know what today is—every Tuesday. But yeah, it's going to be special for us, but I'm glad you mentioned the women's team again. You know, we're really happy for them. Obviously, a lot going on on social media surrounding our team and their team. But, you know, 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.”
WATCH: Quinn Hughes was asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos about attending tonight's State of the Union...
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 24, 2026
"I don't know how much we're allowed to say, but yes. Yeah, we're excited to go. Something you don't get to do -- I don't know what today is - every Tuesday. But yeah --… pic.twitter.com/POH9XIXqyv
Hughes’s confirmation about the U.S. men’s hockey team’s plans comes in the wake of their female counterparts declining President Trump’s invitation. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate,” a USA Hockey spokesperson said.
Both the U.S. men’s and women’s hockey teams emerged victorious in Milan with gold medal finishes. The men’s side won their first gold since 1980 while the women’s side won their first gold since 2018; the American women have also medaled in all eight of of their Olympic appearances dating back to their inaugural tournament at the 1998 Nagano Games.
In a viral video on X, Hughes and the U.S. men’s hockey team received a phone call from President Trump on Sunday night during which Trump personally congratulated them for beating Canada. When Trump first extended his invitation, some U.S. men’s hockey players could be heard cheering and appeared enthusiastic about attending the State of the Union address. “I can send a military plane or something,” Trump told the players.
Trump also said he “probably would be impeached” if he didn’t invite the women to the White House, too. “We’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” Trump said. “I do believe I probably would be impeached, okay?” Several of the U.S. men’s hockey players could be heard laughing in the video, a moment that has since incited online controversy.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Quinn Hughes Addresses U.S. Men’s Hockey Team’s Plan for State of the Union Address.
