Peter Rosenberg sees USA men’s hockey as ‘sad little pawns’ at Trump’s State of the Union

After winning gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the accomplishments of the United States men’s hockey team have quickly been marred by political drama.

Part of that political drama stemmed from the gold medal-winning men’s hockey team leaving their fans divided by attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Team USA visited Trump in the White House on Tuesday afternoon before receiving a bipartisan standing ovation that lasted nearly two minutes during the president’s State of the Union later that night.

ESPN Radio host Peter Rosenberg didn’t attend the State of the Union, but he did post a live reaction video on the YouTube page for The Ebro Laura Rosenberg Show. And after Trump’s painfully awkward transition to welcoming the Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team into the House chamber, Rosenberg noted that the athletes were being used as props.

“Y’all decided to go all the way full on props for the president,” Rosenberg said. “You pawns, you sad little pawns. What are you doing? And you guys will probably get to live a white, cushy, privileged enough life that you’ll never even have to answer for how embarrassing this is to do.”

Five players from the men’s gold medal-winning team reportedly did not make the trip to the White House. They were Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe.

Toronto Maple Leafs center and Team USA captain Auston Matthews, Utah Mammoth forward Clayton Keller, and Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings reportedly visited Trump at the White House. Still, they were not seen during the president’s 1-hour, 48-minute speech Tuesday night.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle stood and cheered for the gold medalists who were in attendance as chants of “USA!” broke out. Despite the rare display of bipartisanship, the hockey team’s decision to attend the State of the Union address was not celebrated nationwide, with many seeing the invitation as the latest example of Trump attempting to sportswash his image.

The trip to the White House also came amid backlash over the men’s team laughing as Trump made a joke at the expense of the U.S. women’s hockey team, who also won gold. In the aftermath of Trump’s joke, gold medal game hero Jack Hughes has reiterated their respect for the women’s team. The U.S. women’s hockey team declined Trump’s State of the Union invite, but the president claimed they will be visiting the White House at a later date.