{"id":2573088,"date":"2026-02-24T15:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yes-wed-rather-have-patriotic-hockey-players-at-the-sotu-than-trump-hating-democrats\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T15:07:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:07:40","slug":"yes-wed-rather-have-patriotic-hockey-players-at-the-sotu-than-trump-hating-democrats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yes-wed-rather-have-patriotic-hockey-players-at-the-sotu-than-trump-hating-democrats\/","title":{"rendered":"We&#8217;d Rather Have Patriotic Hockey Players At SOTU Than Dems"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fyes-wed-rather-have-patriotic-hockey-players-at-the-sotu-than-trump-hating-democrats%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2573088&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An opinion piece from The Federalist argues that several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rand-paul-suggests-denver-mayor-opposing-deportations-is-a-form-of-insurrection-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Rand Paul suggests Denver mayor opposing deportations is \u2018a form of insurrection\u2019 ... Washington Examiner\">democratic lawmakers plan<\/a> to boycott President Trump\u2019s State of the Union, saying they won\u2019t attend as a protest and calling it not normal to treat the event as ordinary business.It cites statements by Adams Schiff and others about skipping the address. The article contrasts this with the U.S. men\u2019s hockey team, who accepted Trump\u2019s invitation to attend the SOTU after winning an Olympic gold, portraying the players as proudly patriotic and grateful to supporters.<\/p>\n<p>The author contends that Democrats\u2019 opposition to Trump reflects a partisan, anti-American strain, accusing them of tying patriotism to which party is in power. in contrast, the hockey players are praised for their love of country and their willingness to represent Americans at the event. The piece suggests that those who skip the SOTU won\u2019t be missed, while awarding importance to the presence of the American athletes.<\/p>\n<p>The piece ends with a brief author bio for Shawn Fleetwood and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/deporting-illegal-aliens-isnt-complicated-dont-let-democrats-complicate-it-52\/\" title=\"Don&#039;t Let Dems Make Deporting Illegal Aliens Complicated\">lists related tags<\/a> such as anti-American, boycott, Democrats, Donald Trump, hockey, Olympics, and Team USA.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tjE8eXA6wbw\">KSDK News\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/24\/yes-wed-rather-have-patriotic-hockey-players-at-the-sotu-than-trump-hating-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Yes,%20We%E2%80%99d%20Rather%20Have%20Patriotic%20Hockey%20Players%20At%20The%20SOTU%20Than%20Trump-Hating%20Democrats&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/24\/yes-wed-rather-have-patriotic-hockey-players-at-the-sotu-than-trump-hating-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Yes,%20We%E2%80%99d%20Rather%20Have%20Patriotic%20Hockey%20Players%20At%20The%20SOTU%20Than%20Trump-Hating%20Democrats&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/24\/yes-wed-rather-have-patriotic-hockey-players-at-the-sotu-than-trump-hating-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/24\/yes-wed-rather-have-patriotic-hockey-players-at-the-sotu-than-trump-hating-democrats\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Yes,%20We%E2%80%99d%20Rather%20Have%20Patriotic%20Hockey%20Players%20At%20The%20SOTU%20Than%20Trump-Hating%20Democrats&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/24\/yes-wed-rather-have-patriotic-hockey-players-at-the-sotu-than-trump-hating-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>In their <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >latest high-wire circus performance<\/a>, numerous congressional Democrats have declared that they are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/democrats-skipping-trumps-state-union\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">boycotting<\/a> President Trump&rsquo;s State of the Union address this Tuesday night. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have always gone both to inaugurations and to States of the Union. But we cannot treat this as normal. This is not business as usual. I will not give [Trump] the audience he craves for the lies that he tells,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenAdamSchiff\/status\/2025386370324144322?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/adam-schiff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Adam Schiff<\/a>, D-Calif., who is best known for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/they-want-to-give-sex-change-drugs-to-kids-dem-rep-eric-sorensen-says-they-help-his-district-thrive\/\" title=\"Democrat Representative Eric Sorensen believes that providing gender...affirming care to children benefits his district, leading to its prosperity\">spending years promoting<\/a> the false and damaging conspiracy theory that Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election. The California senator was hardly the only Democrat to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenRubenGallego\/status\/2024891967037956500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2024891967037956500%7Ctwgr%5E4731028e01f1fc98c5d85742ada8f06a7221dcc0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcaliforniaglobe.com%2Ffr%2Fsenator-gallego-draws-online-backlash-after-announcing-state-of-the-union-boycott%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issue<\/a> a self-recorded, teenage girl-style video announcing his intention to skip the SOTU. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1708302203\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Unfortunately for these leftist lawmakers, nobody outside of their cul-de-sac Karen echo chamber actually cares. If anything, Americans are much more interested in the planned attendance of the U.S. men&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/who-doesnt-wear-the-ribbon\/\" title=\"Who Doesn\u2019t Wear The Ribbon?!\">national hockey team<\/a>, which just beat Canada to secure its first <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/22\/so-proud-to-be-americans-u-s-mens-hockey-team-defeats-canada-in-overtime-battle-for-olympic-gold\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gold-medal Olympic victory<\/a> in 46 years. <\/p>\n<p>As a quick refresher, Team USA received a congratulatory call from Trump while partying it up in the locker room shortly after sending their neighbors to the north packing. In typical Trump fashion, the president <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ClayTravis\/status\/2025781163290226893?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">invited<\/a> the players to attend the SOTU, an invitation they eagerly accepted. <\/p>\n<p>The Team USA players have continued to espouse their love for America and appreciation at Trump&rsquo;s invitation in the days since &mdash; even as <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/lJxKy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">propaganda media hacks<\/a> have <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CurtisHouck\/status\/2026280462759436783?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">not-so-subtly attempted<\/a> to bully them (and their <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CurtisHouck\/status\/2026328578892161171?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">family members<\/a>) into distancing themselves from the president. <\/p>\n<p>And therein lies the key difference between the hockey players and Democrats. Whereas the former sees Trump&rsquo;s invitation as an incredible honor and opportunity to represent their country, the latter views the evening as another avenue to display their hatred for the president and his voters. <\/p>\n<p>For leftists, their &ldquo;love&rdquo; of country depends on whether their party is in power. If Orange Man Bad is running the show, then patriotism is viewed as being synonymous with supporting Trump and must be vilified at all costs. (Hence the reason for the leftist-led freakout about Team USA attending the SOTU.)<\/p>\n<p>In case it wasn&rsquo;t obvious, that&rsquo;s not patriotism. It&rsquo;s anti-American degeneracy. And it&rsquo;s the exact opposite behavior you&rsquo;re seeing from the U.S. men&rsquo;s hockey team right now. <\/p>\n<p>These young men accomplished something incredible that few Americans have ever done. From every interview they give and every public appearance they make, it&rsquo;s evident that they love America and are grateful to be in such a position. <\/p>\n<p>Contrary to loser Democrats (I repeat myself), these players don&rsquo;t care who&rsquo;s sitting in the Oval Office. They just want to return the love and joy they&rsquo;ve received to the Americans who supported them through what many thought was an impossible feat. The State of the Union is another chance for them to do that. <\/p>\n<p>Democrats who skip out on the SOTU based on their hatred for Trump will not be missed. And those who plan to sit in shameful silence rather than acknowledge citizens killed by illegal aliens, victims of leftist violence, and cancer survivors (as <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/03\/05\/democrats-promised-theatrics-at-trumps-speech-but-displayed-their-soullessness-instead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">they did last year<\/a>) are more than welcome to join them so congressional leadership can make room for the American athletes who love their country and actually want to be there.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/anti-american\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Anti-American<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/boycott\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Boycott<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hockey\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hockey<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/olympics\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Olympics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/patriotic\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">patriotic<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/sports-2\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">sports<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/state-of-the-union\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">State of the Union<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/team-usa\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Team USA<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a neutral paraphrase of the piece you provided:<\/p>\n<p>Several Democratic lawmakers announced they will boycott President Trump\u2019s State of the Union address, arguing the event should not be treated as normal politics. Sen. Adam Schiff said he has attended inaugurations and SOTU addresses before, but this time he will not give Trump the audience he wants, calling the lies he cites a reason not to participate. Many Democrats posted self-made videos announcing their plan to skip the address. The article contends that outside audiences aren\u2019t paying attention, noting instead the excitement around Team USA\u2019s men\u2019s hockey team, which earned its first Olympic gold in 46 years after Trump congratulated the players and invited them to attend the SOTU. The players have continued to express patriotism and gratitude for the invitation, while some media figures pressure them to distance themselves from the president. The author contrasts the hockey players\u2019 view of the invitation as an honor with the Democrats\u2019 view of the SOTU as an arena to oppose Trump and his voters. The piece argues that for some Democrats, patriotism is tied to which party is in power, pointing to their reaction to Team USA\u2019s attendance as evidence. It concludes by saying Democrats who boycott will not be missed, and those who stay silent about various issues could yield space for the athletes who love their country and want to be there.<\/p>\n<p>Would you prefer a shorter 1-2 sentence summary, or a version tailored to a 55-character limit?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2573089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Team-USA-1.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3685,7286,7825,71156,17782],"class_list":["post-2573088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrats","tag-hockey","tag-patriotism","tag-political-opinion-2","tag-sotu"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Team-USA-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573088"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573092,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573088\/revisions\/2573092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2573089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}