The 2026 Winter Olympics delivered incredible moments for both U.S. hockey teams — but one post-game Donald Trump controversy now dominates the headlines. After the U.S. men’s hockey team captured gold against Canada, a video circulated of Trump (aka The Big Orange Idiot) congratulating the team by phone. In the clip, Trump invited the men to his upcoming State of the Union address in Washington. He then added — with a laugh — that he’d also need to invite the women’s hockey team or risk being “impeached.” That moment prompted laughs from the majority of the men’s players, and soon the clip spread widely on social media — sparking debate and criticism.
Speaking on the Good Morning America show, Olympic gold medalist and Team USA captain Hilary Knight described the phone call itself as “distasteful”, saying it shifted focus away from what the U.S. women accomplished at the Games. She told ABC’s Yi-Jin Yu that it was “an awesome learning moment to refocus the narrative and understand our words matter, and how we speak about women matters,” which is code for “convicted felons and alleged pedophiles often say really stupid things.”
Knight has been clear: the women’s team deserves attention for their Olympic gold — not because of a joke buried in someone else’s celebration. Importantly, Knight emphasized that the remark didn’t reflect how the women’s and men’s teams truly feel about each other. She said there’s “a genuine level of support and respect” between both squads — but that the laughter caught on video ended up overshadowing that connection.
Several members of the men’s team, including Jeremy Swayman and Jack Hughes, later acknowledged they wish they had reacted differently. They reiterated their respect and pride for the women’s team and their shared success in Italy. If anyone wonders why the derogatory term “ugly American” resurfaces from time to time, look no further. Their constant need to “cleanup in aisle six” continues to generate both disdain and laughter around the world.
The women’s team, fresh from an unforgettable gold-medal game—the third in U.S. history—decided not to meet with their widely despised leader or attend the State of the Union address. According to reports, the decision was made due to timing and pre-existing commitments, not because of the phone call controversy itself. Um…nice try, but we’re not buying that cleanup attempt either.
During his State of the Union speech, the always-delusional Trump suggested that the women’s team would be meeting with him at the White House after all. Then again, he’s been know to lie through his teeth the odd time.
