Trump Highlights Olympic Success in State of the Union Address
During his State of the Union address on February 24, 2026, President Donald Trump referenced a familiar pledge from his 2016 campaign, stating that Americans would eventually feel overwhelmed by the amount of winning under his leadership.
“Our country is winning again,” Trump remarked, expressing his excitement. “In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it.”
To exemplify this success, Trump welcomed the U.S. men’s national hockey team, celebrating their recent 2-1 overtime win against Canada in the Winter Olympics finals in Milan.
“You’re going to win bigger than ever and to prove that point, here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud: the men’s gold-medal Olympic hockey team,” Trump proclaimed.
He introduced 20 members of the gold-medal team, who were honored guests in the gallery, earning a rare bipartisan standing ovation that was filled with chants of “U-S-A!”
Taking a moment to honor Connor Hellebuyck, the team’s goalie, Trump highlighted a sequence of crucial saves that turned the tide of the game.
“I’ve never seen a goalie play as well as Connor Hellebuyck,” Trump noted, gesturing towards him. “The members of this hockey squad will be very happy to hear that, based on their vote and my vote — and in this case, my vote was more important — I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor.”
Hellebuyck is set to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his impressive performance, which included stopping 41 out of 42 shots during the final match.
As the cheers continued, Hellebuyck, 32, showed his gratitude with a heart tap and a fist pump. Trump recalled an extraordinary save during the third period, asking Hellebuyck whether it was a practiced move or merely luck.
“I asked him, the one shot, the one where you put your stick in the back and it hit the neck of your stick and bounced off, do you practice that?” Trump quipped, prompting laughter. Hellebuyck hesitated to respond, which Trump humorously acknowledged.
With an impressive 5-0-0 record and a .956 save percentage in the tournament, Hellebuyck was also named the Top Goaltender.
This announcement was just one highlight of a busy day for the team, who earlier visited the Oval Office to celebrate and showcase their gold medals.
Trump also recognized the U.S. Women’s Hockey team, who achieved gold last week. Though they declined the SOTU invitation due to schedule conflicts, Trump assured that they would be celebrated at the White House soon.
Hellebuyck will join a select group of athletes who have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump, including:
- Roger Staubach – Football
- Mariano Rivera – Baseball
- Babe Ruth – Posthumous, Baseball
