Donald Trump will not be impeached but the Olympic champions will not honor him with their presence. The American women’s ice hockey team, which has just won the gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics after beating Canada in the final, will not attend the American president’s State of the Union speech.
The hockey players and their staff informed the White House that scheduling constraints prevented them from traveling to Washington this Tuesday. But no one is fooled: mocked by the tenant of the White House this Sunday after the boys’ victory, could they respond positively to Donald Trump’s invitation?
The image made the rounds on social networks. During a phone call to the American men’s team, which had also just won gold against Canada, Donald Trump was enthusiastic about the victory of the national team. “We’re doing the State of the Union address Tuesday night. I could send a military plane or something, if you want. It’s the coolest party. This is the biggest speech,” he said, according to images and testimonies relayed after the scene.
Trump: “We will have to invite the women’s team”
During the conversation, Donald Trump also mentioned the players of the women’s team. “I have to tell you that we’re going to have to invite the women’s team, you know that,” he felt obliged to say. Intended as a joke, he added that if they were not invited, “I think I would probably be dismissed.” The laughter heard in the locker room quickly circulated on social networks, where the sequence sparked numerous criticisms.
In the hours that followed, the two American teams received an official invitation to attend the presidential speech. But the players ultimately decided not to go. In a press release, a spokesperson for the women’s team thanked the American executive for this recognition.
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation to our Olympic champion U.S. women’s hockey team and deeply appreciate the recognition of this extraordinary achievement,” the statement said. The text specifies, however, that “due to the calendar and university and professional commitments already planned after the Games, the athletes cannot participate”.
Gavin Newsom’s pique
“Another victory for the American women’s hockey team,” quipped the Governor of California and Democratic figure Gavin Newsom, believing that managing to avoid a meeting with Donald Trump constitutes a great success.
It must be said that timing does indeed work against a presence in Washington. After the end of the Games, players must quickly return to their club competitions or university commitments. The women’s professional league resumes its season just a few days after the Olympic final.
On the ice, the two American selections experienced historic moments against Canada, each winning 2-1 in overtime during particularly close finals. American striker Jack Hughes, scorer of the men’s winning goal, paid tribute to the players after their own triumph. “The first person I thought of was Megan Keller, who scored the golden goal the other night,” he explained just after the game. “I saw her in the cafeteria and I just told her how happy and proud I was of their group. »
