View gallery
A video of Donald Trump congratulating the United States’ men’s hockey team via phone call on their Olympics win went viral after the president made a comment about the women’s team. The phone call, conducted by FBI Director Kash Patel in the men’s locker room following the team’s victory on February 22, involved an invitation to the February 24 State of the Union address. So, what exactly did Trump say about the women’s team that caused an uproar online?
Find out what the president said about the women’s hockey team here.
Did Trunp Invite Both the Men’s & Women’s Hockey Teams to Washington, D.C.?
Yes, Trump extended an invitation to both men’s and women’s teams, but the men’s invite was the only one that was captured on camera. He even offered to fly them to Washington, D.C., despite snowstorms that impacted the northeast.
What Did Trump Say About the Women’s Hockey Team?
According to the video that went viral online, Trump said about the women’s team, “I must tell you we’re going to have to bring the women too; you do know that. Believe me, I probably would be impeached, OK?”
The men’s hockey team laughed in response to the president’s joke, as seen in the clip.
You can hear the genuine pride in Donald Trumps voice when he called the Team USA Hockey Team pic.twitter.com/ch6GbXShwh
— Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank) February 23, 2026
Why Did the Women’s Hockey Team Decline Trump’s Invitation?
The women’s hockey team cited scheduling conflicts with the president’s invitation. A spokesperson for USA Hockey said they were “honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” the rep said. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.”
Team USA Captain Hilary Knight responded to Trump’s joke during an appearance on “SportsCenter,” calling it a “distasteful” comment.
“I thought it was sort of a distasteful joke, and unfortunately, that is overshadowing a lot of the success, the success of just women at the Olympics carrying for Team USA and having amazing gold medal feats,” she said. “Now, I have to, or anybody has to sit in front of you and explain someone else’s behavior. It’s not my responsibility.”
What Did the Men’s Hockey Team Say About the Women’s Team?
The men’s team didn’t discuss the backlash together, but NHL star Jack Hughes spoke out about the controversy in a statement to the Daily Mail.
“They’ve got busy schedules, too,” Hughes said about the women’s team’s rejection of the president’s invitation. “Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today. People are so negative out there, and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing.”
Adding that both USA teams’ relationship is “so tight,” Hughes continued, “I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us.”
Jack also said the men’s team was “excited” to attend Trump’s State of the Union. “Everything is so political. We’re athletes. We’re so proud to represent the US, and when you get the chance to go to White House and meet the president, we’re proud to be Americans, and that’s so patriotic.”
“No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go to the White House tomorrow and be a part of that,” Hughes concluded.
