‘Not giving it back’: Trump jokes as he dons US men’s hockey star Matthew Tkachuk’s gold medal

WASHINGTON, DC: The gold medal–winning US men’s Olympic hockey team stepped into the Oval Office on Tuesday, February 24, turning a championship celebration into a memorable White House moment just hours before they were set to attend the State of the Union address.

During the visit, President Donald Trump shared a lighthearted exchange with US gold medalist Matthew Tkachuk, who invited the president to try on his medal. The playful gesture came after Trump fulfilled a promise to send a military aircraft to transport the team to Washington, adding a patriotic flourish to the champions’ trip to the capital. 

Matthew Tkachuk invites Trump to try gold medal

Matthew Tkachuk asked the president to try on his gold medal during the Oval Office visit. “Yeah, absolutely. I’m not giving it back,” Trump quipped as he slipped it around his neck, drawing laughter from the surrounding players.

“I’ll trade you that for a pen,” Tkachuk shot back. Trump called it “cool” to wear the medal, adding, “I never thought I’d have this on me.”

Only select clips of the visit were later shared online by the president’s staff, as reporters and television cameras were not present while Trump finalized his annual address to the nation. Later, Dylan Larkin and Jack Hughes posed for photos behind the Resolute Desk. Trump had extended the invitation while congratulating the players on their gold medal victory in Milan.

Jack Hughes defends White House visit amid backlash

While some critics questioned the visit, Hughes brushed off the political noise the night before outside the E11EVEN nightclub in Miami, calling the White House meeting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Everything is so political. We’re athletes. We’re so proud to represent the US,” Hughes said. “When you get the chance to go to the White House and meet the president, we’re proud to be Americans that’s so patriotic. No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go to the White House and just be part of that.”

The White House also released a 35-second video showing the ice hockey gold medalists from the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics arriving at the White House. Dressed in “USA” jackets with their medals around their necks, the players walked along the West Colonnade to patriotic music.  The image was captioned, “And no, we’re not tired of winning yet."

The video was captioned “American Dominance,” accompanied by a No. 1 gold medal emoji. In addition, the White House shared a photo of Trump smiling broadly as he posed with the entire US men’s Olympic hockey team around the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.