President Trump is hosting more than 120 Team USA Winter Olympians and Paralympians at a Rose Garden reception on Thursday evening, celebrating the athletes’ historic achievements at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, Italy. The event marks one of the largest White House honors for Olympic athletes in recent years, with attendees spanning figure skating, curling, luge, speedskating, bobsledding, snowboarding, and alpine skiing, along with Paralympic competitors in several sports.
Team USA delivered a record-breaking performance at the Milano Cortina Games. The U.S. earned 12 gold medals, 12 silver, and 9 bronze—33 total—surpassing the previous Winter Olympics record for American gold medals. The 232 athletes who represented Team USA at the Games also included 72 Paralympians, who earned 24 medals with 13 golds, tying the team’s best Paralympic winter performance over the past 20 years.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement that Trump will “proudly celebrate Team USA’s historic achievements at the Winter Olympics with a special reception at the People’s House,” adding that the athletes “showed the world American excellence, and their extraordinary performances united us all in our love of country.”
Among the notable attendees is speedskater Jordan Stolz, one of the most celebrated Winter Olympians, who memorably placed his gold medal around Trump’s neck at a June rally in Wisconsin. Two members of the gold-winning U.S. women’s hockey team—Abbey Murphy and Joy Dunne—are also scheduled to attend, though the women’s team had declined Trump’s invitation to the State of the Union address in February.
The reception represents about 40 percent of the total Team USA Winter Olympians and Paralympians. No members of the gold-winning U.S. men’s hockey team are scheduled to attend, as Trump already met with that group in the Oval Office in February following their victory. Freestyle halfpipe skier Hunter Hess, whom Trump called a “real loser” for expressing mixed emotions about representing the United States at the Winter Games, is also not listed as an attendee.
The Rose Garden, where the reception is taking place, has undergone recent renovations under Trump’s direction. In 2025, the President replaced the garden’s central lawn with a white limestone patio, reshaping one of the White House’s most iconic outdoor spaces for official events and celebrations.
Sources
- USA Today — confirmed the reception details, athlete count, medal achievements, and specific attendees including Stolz, Murphy, and Dunne
- U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) — verified Team USA’s 12 gold medals as the most ever at a single Winter Olympics, along with the 33 total medals and 13 Paralympic golds
- NBC Olympics — confirmed the breakdown of Team USA’s 2026 Winter Olympics medals (12 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze)
