UCLA Women’s Basketball Team Says Donald Trump Hasn’t Congratulated Them
Photo Credit: @JimmyKimmelLive/YouTube Following their recent NCAA championship win, the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team has shared that Donald Trump has not reached out to congratulate them. In a recent interview, the players shared the update and reflected on their latest victory. UCLA Women’s Basketball team says Donald Trump hasn’t reached out to them The UCLA women’s basketball team has revealed that Donald Trump has not congratulated them on their NCAA championship victory.
The team appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, following their win over the South Carolina Gamecocks on April 5. While speaking with Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, Angela Dugalic, and Lauren Betts, alongside their head coach Cori Close, host Jimmy Kimmel mentioned that the former President Barack Obama had sent his congratulations to the team, drawing cheers from both the players and the audience.
When Kimmel asked whether the team had heard from the current president, Donald Trump, Rice responded, “We have not. ” The late-night host followed up with a quick jab, saying, “I’m sure you know he’s busy,” before adding, “in two weeks you’ll hear from him,” seemingly referring to the recent two-week ceasefire deal with Iran. Trump had previously congratulated the Michigan and UConn men’s basketball teams for reaching the NCAA finals this year.
However, he did not extend similar encouraging remarks to the UCLA and South Carolina women’s teams ahead of their championship game. Kimmel, who has been in a long-running feud with Trump, went on to bring out a fake trophy and joked that the team should take it to the White House if they get an invite in the future. “I want you to bring this fake trophy we’ve made,” Kimmel said.
“When you bring a trophy, he sometimes takes it and keeps it for himself, so this is for you guys to take to the White House,” he joked, drawing laughter from the team. The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks, 79-51, winning the 2026 NCAA championship on April 5, 2026. Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory .