Trump Joke Clouds U.S. Olympic Hockey Triumphs
President Trump's locker-room joke prompted criticism, a women's team White House decline and athlete condemnations after U.S. men's and women's Olympic hockey golds.
BBC News2026 Winter Olympics: Donald Trump joke 'overshadows' US women's success - Hilary Knight
Breitbart NewsUSA Women's Hockey Captain Hilary Knight 'Unsure' if Team Will Attend White House Celebration
USA TODAY'Heated Rivalry' actor reacts to Trump-US hockey saga. 'Allies speak up.'
USA TODAY'Stop laughing.' Abby Wambach, more athletes condemn Trump's hockey comments
Overview
Hilary Knight said on Feb. 25 that President Donald Trump's joke during a locker-room call with the men's team was "distasteful" and has overshadowed the women's Olympic achievements.
Trump called the men's locker room after their Feb. 22 gold-medal win and invited them to the Feb. 24 State of the Union, joking he would be "impeached" if he did not invite the women's team.
The women's team declined the State of the Union invitation, citing timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments, while Charlie McAvoy apologized before an NHL game for his team's response to the call.
Both U.S. men's and women's teams won Olympic gold at Milan-Cortina, Knight finished her Olympic career with 15 goals, the most by any U.S. player, and the White House said it looked forward to hosting the women's team as of Feb. 26.
Knight said in an interview that she was unsure if the team would make the trip to the White House, and the team accepted an invitation to a Las Vegas celebration.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story by using evaluative language (e.g., "dominated political epicenters," "widespread criticism"), privileging critical athletes and celebrities while treating celebratory responses as secondary. Editorial choices — source selection, highlighted condemnatory lines as source content (Knight's "distasteful joke," Browne's "allies speak up"), and ordering — steer readers toward disapproval.
FAQ
Trump joked that he would 'have' to invite the women's team to the State of the Union address, otherwise he 'probably would be impeached.'
Knight described the joke as 'distasteful' because it overshadowed the women's Olympic achievements and implied their success was secondary to the men's.
The women's team declined the State of the Union invitation due to scheduling conflicts and was unsure about a White House visit, opting instead for a Las Vegas celebration.
The team faced backlash for laughing at Trump's joke, a member's MAGA hat photo at the White House, and perceptions of unequal treatment toward the women's team.
Both the U.S. men's and women's teams won gold medals; Hilary Knight set a U.S. record with 15 career Olympic goals.
