Democrats in Minnesota have accused the US men’s hockey team, which won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics, of “squandering good will” by meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. 

Minnesota DFL Party Secretary Ceri Everett wrote, “these guys are going to throw away all the good will they got when they won the gold for a few minutes with an accused pedophile. Gross.”

Dem Minnesota State Senator Erin Maye Quade reposted a post on Bluesky from writer and columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom, who wrote, “Henceforth, I will be describing the way that U.S. men’s hockey spectacularly squandered good will, brand recognition, and fan loyalty as ‘pulled a Target.’ They pulled a Target.”

The team met with Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. The team won gold at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, defeating Canada for the top spot. Trump was seen shaking the hands of the team members.

At his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Trump said that he would be awarding team goalie Connor Hellebuyck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Trump said of the goalie, “I’ve never seen a goaltender play as well as goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Give it 46 shots on goal, and 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. You practiced that? Or was that little lucky?’ he refused to answer that question.” 

The New York Times published a piece centering on the team’s win, taking aim at the gold medalists because they took a call from Trump. The piece’s writer, Jerry Brewer, also touched on the “goodwill” extended to the team. “They narrowed their moment… And some of their goodwill has diminished.”