WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump hosted on Thursday dozens of Winter Olympians and Paralympians for a reception honouring their accomplishments in the Milano Cortina games earlier this year. Nearly half of the Team USA athletes who competed in Italy came to the East Room reception, according to the White House, along with coaches, staff, and other representatives. Among those attending was speedskater Jordan Stolz, whom Trump said was the single most-decorated American Olympian of the 2026 Games while marvelling at his “very strong legs.” Stolz, during a rally with the president in Wisconsin earlier this summer, briefly placed a gold medal around Trump’s neck. “Today, we’re truly honoured to welcome to the White House perhaps the greatest group of Winter Olympians in American history,” Trump said, as athletes in USA windbreakers filled rows of risers behind him. They gave Trump a Team USA jacket and sneakers, and the president promised to hand out special coins and invited attendees to a post-event tour of the Oval Office. Three hundred U.S. athletes participated in this year’s Winter Olympics and Paralympics, winning 57 medals in total. Thursday’s event was originally scheduled to be held in the stone patio area that Trump had built near the Rose Garden, but was moved indoors as heavy evening rains fell. “These men and women sacrificed years of their lives and countless early mornings to be the best in the world,” Trump said. Then, apparently recalling himself as a one-time athlete, the president added, “That’s right. I guess you get up early in the morning, don’t you? I remember those days. But I didn’t do it as well as you. Not quite.” Trump also asked who was already training for the next Olympics and most the athletes raised their hands. He noted that the 2034 Winter Olympics will be held in Salt Lake City and that Los Angeles is hosting the 2028 Summer Games. The Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team visited Trump at the White House in February and later received about a two-minute bipartisan standing ovation during his State of the Union address that night. Members of the gold-medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team declined an invitation to attend the speech, citing previously scheduled academic and personal commitments. Trump said at the time that the women’s hockey team would be honored at a later date, and two of its members, Abbey Murphy and Joy Dunne, attended Thursday’s celebration and got shout-outs from Trump. He also spoke at length about the men’s team, even though its members didn’t make a return to the White House trip. In a video posted earlier Thursday on social media, ice dancers Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik indicated that they did not want to come to the White House. Trump stayed mostly focused on the Olympics and not politics in his remarks, though he told those assembled, “We’ve done a lot to help save women’s sports,” drawing only a muted reaction from some athletes. At his “Make America Great Again” rallies, Trump often gets cheers for declaring his opposition to transgender rights. Trump also said Thursday that we’re “saving college sports” and called on Congress to pass legislation overhauling the way such sports are governed, promising to sign it. “We’re doing everything we can to protect the cherished sporting traditions that have long been part of our nation from the beginning,” the president said. Will Weissert, The Associated Press
