Care packages and cardstock turkeys: first and second ladies visit Marines and their relatives

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. (AP) — Melania Trump and Usha Vance on Wednesday marked the Thanksgiving season by visiting with Marine Corps members in North Carolina and saluting the sacrifices of military families, who make up “the quiet strength of our nation,” the first lady said.

The wives of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance used their first trip together outside of Washington to visit with students attending school at Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast, and deliver upbeat remarks to some 1,600 uniformed, cheering Marines and their families at Marine Corps Air Station New River.

“Please know that our nation is thinking of you, praying for you and deeply grateful for your service,” Trump said of all service members stationed far from home during the holidays, speaking from a stage flanked by parked tanks and helicopters.

Trump also stressed the growing importance of artificial intelligence to the military, noting that “technology is changing the art of war.”

“Predictably, AI will alter war more profoundly than any technology since nuclear weapons,” she said, also noting that “we are moving from human operators to human overseers fast.”

Trump and Vance both recognized the just-passed 250th anniversary of the Marines, and the second lady said “military families are truly a model for our country and for my own family." The vice president is a former Marine.

Brigadier General Ralph J. Rizzo Jr. said visits by dignitaries like the first and second lady "matter because they show our families their service and sacrifices are seen and appreciated."

Trump and Vance's speeches followed school visits where they discussed AI with high schoolers and helped younger children with crafts, including making turkeys from cardstock and Elmer’s glue.

They listened to a presentation by students in an advanced placement research class from the Lejeune High School “Devilpups,” recalling the Marine Corps’ “Devil Dog” nickname, and had discussions about technological development.

Four female students demonstrated how they used AI to generate videos for their research into how electronic media affects sleep and adolescent wellbeing, as well as a study on social media addiction and how it affects young people's esteem and body image.

Trump and Vance later walked to the gymnasium, where students had assembled 2,000 care packages of goodies, including jerky sticks, for service members away from home. The first lady told the crowd that she and the president always think of U.S. service members but “especially during the holidays.”

They also spent time with kindergarteners and first-grade students at DeLalio Elementary School, entering classrooms where each table had been laid with folders from Be Best, Trump’s child-focused initiative. The folders held a puzzle, pen and sticker for each student, along with a bookmark from the second lady.

Trump told one girl in pigtails that she was “beautiful.” The patriotic ribbon pinned to the girl's light blue top meant one of her parents is on active deployment. Several of her classmates also sported the ribbon, as did many in the larger group of students making cardstock turkeys.

Trump also engaged in a lengthy conversation with a first-grade girl before offering: “Very nice. I love your story.”

Trump and Vance have appeared together at other public events, though not on the road. Most notably, they were together at the inauguration of their husbands at the U.S. Capitol in January.

Other joint appearances came at a White House event celebrating military mothers and a luncheon for Senate spouses, both in May; the opening night of “Les Misérables” at the Kennedy Center in June; and the president's signing last week of an executive order to help foster children, which also came as part of Be Best.

Melania Trump has centered her work around children, launching Be Best during her husband's first term to focus on their welfare, online safety and opioid abuse.

Last month, she announced that eight children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war had been reunited with their families following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier this year, the first lady lobbied Congress to pass legislation imposing federal penalties for online sexual exploitation, often targeting young girls. The president signed the bill into law in May.

Usha Vance, a former lawyer, launched a “Summer Reading Challenge” to encourage students in kindergarten through eighth grade to read 12 books during the school break. Certificates and prizes were promised to those who completed the challenge.

The second lady often accompanies the vice president on his trips and sometimes brings along their three young children.

Second lady Usha Vance arrives to speak in the Mega Hangar at the Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, N.C., Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

First lady Melania Trump meets with students at DeLalio Elementary School on the Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, N.C., Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Second lady Usha Vance meets with students at DeLalio Elementary School on the Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, N.C., Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

First lady Melania Trump meets with students at DeLalio Elementary School on the Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, N.C., Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

First lady Melania Trump accompanied by second lady Usha Vance speaks to students at Lejeune High School in Jacksonville, N.C., Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

First lady Melania Trump, center, accompanied by second lady Usha Vance waves after arriving at Arrive Albert J Ellis Airport in Richlands, N.C., en route to Camp Lejeune, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

First lady Melania Trump, right, and second lady Usha Vance arrive at Arrive Albert J Ellis Airport in Richlands, N.C., en route to Camp Lejeune, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

First lady Melania Trump, right, and second lady Usha Vance arrive at Arrive Albert J Ellis Airport in Richlands, N.C., en route to Camp Lejeune, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend a dinner with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Olympic gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team visited President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon and later received about a two-minute bipartisan standing ovation during his State of the Union address that night.

Trump also announced that the women's hockey team, which also defeated Canada to win gold, will “soon” visit the White House. The women’s team had declined an invitation to attend the State of the Union due to the timing of the address.

Men's players entered the House chamber through two sets of doors and walked down the rows of the press gallery. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle not only stood and cheered but chanted “USA!” several times, many even pumping fists. Rep. Lisa McClain, the Republican House Conference Chair, shouted “Love you!” to the players.

“I want to thank you all,” Trump told the players. “What a special job you did. What special champions you are."

Trump also said goalie Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 shots in the gold medal game, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Hellebuyck tapped his heart as those in the chamber applauded.

Videos and photos shared on social media by Trump administration aides showed the hockey players posing for a photograph in front of the South Portico. They walked along the West Wing colonnade where Trump has posted portraits of every U.S. president just steps away from the Oval Office, where they were welcomed by Trump.

As they approached the Oval Office, some of the players popped into the press office’s open door to flash the medals from their 2-1 overtime win over Canada on Sunday at the Milan Cortina Olympics. It was the Americans’ first gold medal in men’s hockey since the “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid, New York, in 1980.

Staffers applauded and shouted, “We love you!”

“I recognize every one of you. I know every one of you,” Trump said as the players entered the Oval Office, which he has redecorated with numerous flourishes of gold that matched the players’ medals.

“Big guys,” he said, standing near his desk and shaking hands with the players, who wore dark tops with “USA,” the American flag and the Olympic rings on the front and light-colored pants.

After their victory, a video that circulated on social media appeared to show Trump inviting the team on a phone call in the locker room, as he joked that he’d also have to invite the women’s team. After the president announced the women soon would receive a White House visit, the men's players made thumbs-up gestures while watching from up high.

For forward Matthew Tkachuk, the trip to the White House was becoming a regular visit.

“Good to see you again,” Tkachuk told Trump, as the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion made his third White House trip in just over 12 months. For some of the approximately 20 players who made the trip, this was a first.

Tkachuk, who won those Cups with the Florida Panthers, posted pictures on social media of members of the team celebrating on what appears to be a U.S. government plane and a group shot of them deplaning at Joint Base Andrews. The team chartered into Miami on a flight from Italy on Monday, and then dined together in Miami Beach and visited a nightclub where hundreds of fans clamored to get inside. They were also given a heroes’ welcome at Miami International Airport.

“Our sport just got the biggest stage in the world of sport,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito, an assistant GM for the Olympic team, said Tuesday. “That’s wonderful. And we need to celebrate it.”

AP White House reporter Seung Min Kim and AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Members of the United States' hockey team attend as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Members of the United States' Olympic hockey team attend as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Members of the United States' Olympic hockey team attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Members of the United States' hockey team attend as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

United States hockey player Matthew Tkachuk arrives at E11EVEN after the team won the gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)