Olympian Jack Hughesand his mom recently responded to the fallout from the U.S. men's hockey team'sviral call with President Donald Trump.
Duringthe locker room callwith the team,President Trumpinvited the players to the State of the Union address. He briefly mentioned the U.S. women's hockey team, who alsowon gold during the Olympics, beating Canada in an overtime thriller, saying he had to invite them too, or he would be "impeached." The men's hockey team laughed at the president's remark.
"People are so negative out there, and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing,"Jack Hughes told the Daily Mail.
"People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them, and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us."
During an appearance on the Today Show,Ellen Hughes, Jack's mom,also addressed the backlash. Ellen Hughes is also the mother ofTeam USA's Quinn Hughesand is on the U.S. women's hockey team as a consultant.
"These players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country,"Hughes' mom said. "People that cheered on that don't watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that's all both the men's team and the women's team care about."
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Jack Hughes #86 of Team United States celebrates after their gold-medal win during the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. It seemed only fitting that the player who gave his two front teeth to Team USA's quest for Olympic hockey gold would score the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Jack Hughes' gritty smile tells the story of USA's OT win over Canada
Jack Hughes#86 of Team United States celebrates after their gold-medal win during the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. It seemed only fitting that the player who gave his two front teeth to Team USA's quest for Olympic hockey gold would score the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada.
A USA Hockey spokesperson said while the women's team received an invitation, it wouldn't be able to attend. Theydeclined the President's invitation.
"Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate," the spokesperson said. "They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment."
Jack Hughes seemed to confirm that he and his teammates will be in Washington forPresident Trump's address. "We're so proud to represent the U.S., and when you get the chance to go to White House and meet the president, we're proud to be Americans, and that's so patriotic," Hughes said.
Despite the backlash to the phone call with Trump, Hughes' mom says both rosters support one another.
"If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing, you know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women — that's what it's all about," Hughes' mom said.
"And the other things they cannot control. They care about humanity. They care about unity, and they care about the country."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Jack Hughes, mom address U.S. men's hockey fallout from Trump call
