President Donald Trump’s joke on the expense of Team USA’s women’s hockey team has divided the sports world following the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The controversy began after Team USA’s men and ladies’s hockey squads each won gold on the Milan and Cortina games. On February 22, 2026, President Trump called the boys’s team of their locker room as they celebrated their time beyond regulation victory against Team Canada within the gold medal game. (Trump’s FBI director, Kash Patel, was partying with the boys’s team of their locker room in the course of the call.)
After inviting the boys’s hockey team to his State of the Union address in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, February 24, Trump quipped: “We’ve got medals for you guys. I need to inform you, we‘re going to need to bring the ladies’s team. [If I don’t invite them,] I do consider I probably could be impeached.”
Several members of the boys’s team might be heard laughing at Trump’s joke. USA Hockey subsequently announced that the ladies’s team wouldn’t make a White House visit or attend the State of the Union speech “because of the timing and previously scheduled academic and skilled commitments.”
One week after the initial snub, Team USA men and ladies’s hockey stars each appeared on Saturday Night Live with Heated Rivalry actor Connor Storrie to poke fun on the drama.
Keep scrolling for more about what each the boys and ladies’s hockey teams have said concerning the controversy.
Jack Hughes Gives a Patriotic Speech After Men’s Gold Medal Win
Team USA center Jack Hughes scored the gold medal-winning goal in the boys’s hockey finals against Team Canada on February 22, 2026 — a feat made all of the more impressive since he’d lost multiple teeth after being cracked with a high stick by Canada’s Sam Bennett within the third period.
In a postgame interview, Hughes told NBC Sports’ Kathryn Tappen that his team’s Olympics success made him feel “proud to be an American.”
“That is all about our country immediately,” Hughes said following Team USA’s win. “I really like the USA. I really like my teammates. It’s unbelievable. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong. We had a lot support from ex-players. I’m so proud to be an American today.”
Within the locker room, the boys’s team spoke with President Donald Trump. The president joked that he was ”going to need to bring the ladies’s team,” together with the boys, for a White House visit or else he “probably could be impeached.”
Team USA Women’s Hockey Players Decline to Attend State of the Union Speech
In light of President Donald Trump’s joke, USA Hockey confirmed on February 23 that the ladies’s team would skip a White House visit and declined a proposal to attend the State of the Union speech in Washington D.C.
“We’re sincerely grateful for the invitation prolonged to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the popularity of their extraordinary achievement,” USA Hockey told NBC News. “They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”
The Associated Press reported that the short turnaround of Trump’s invitation for the team to travel to Washington D.C. would have caused logistical problems for the ladies.
Jack Hughes Tries to Downplay Women’s Team Skipping White House Visit
Team USA’s Jack Hughes seemingly tried to downplay the political implications of the feminine players turning down President Donald Trump’s offer to go to the White House and attend his State of the Union Speech.
“They’ve got busy schedules too,” Hughes told the Every day Mail on February 23, 2026. “Everyone seems to be giving us backlash for all of the social media stuff today.”
Hughes suggested that critics were putting a damper on each the boys and ladies’s hockey teams’ success at Milan and Cortina.
“Individuals are so negative on the market and so they are only trying to seek out a reason to place people down and make something out of virtually nothing,” Hughes complained. “Individuals are so negative about things. I believe everyone in that locker room knows how much we support [the women’s team], how proud we’re of them and we all know the identical way we feel about them, they feel about us.”
Jack Hughes’ Mother Weighs In on Controversy Over Donald Trump’s Remarks
On February 24, Ellen Hughes — the mother of Team USA men’s standouts Jack and Quinn Hughes and a consultant for USA Hockey — defended her sons’ decision to party with FBI director Kash Patel and meet with President Donald Trump on the White House.
“I believe at the top of the day, it’s just concerning the country and the moment that these players, each the boys and ladies, can bring a lot unity to a bunch and to a rustic,” Ellen told Today. “Those who cheered on that don’t watch hockey, those who have politics on one side or on the opposite side. And that’s all each the boys’s team and the ladies’s team care about.”
Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes of Team United States. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Ellen argued that her sons and their teammates’ decision to go to the White House and attend the State of the Union speech was not inherently political.
“For those who could see what we see from the within and the boys and ladies sharing, you already know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy, and the way in which the ladies cheered on the boys and the way in which the boys cheered on the ladies,” she insisted. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Ellen went on, “The opposite things, they can not control. They care about humanity. They care about unity and so they care concerning the country. I hope everybody just understands what we did within the moment, each the boys and ladies to bring this country together and let everybody cheer in the identical direction.”
Quinn and Jack Hughes Express Excitement Over Visiting the White House
During a Good Morning America interview on February 24, 2026, Quinn Hughes said he was “excited” to go to the White House and suggested the trip could be “special” for the boys’s team.
“There’s rather a lot happening on social media immediately surrounding our team and [the women’s team],” Quinn added later within the segment. “Within the last couple summers, we did loads of training with them and got to know [them] very well.”
Five Players from Team USA Men’s Hockey Skip a White House Meeting With Donald Trump
Ahead of the controversial White House meeting, it was reported that five players from Team USA men’s hockey — Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, Anaheim Geese defenseman Jackson LaCombe and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel — were skipping the Washington D.C. visit to be able to return to their NHL teams.
Connor spoke to reporters about his alternative to miss the State of the Union, insisting that he was “just on the brink of play on Wednesday” with the Jets against the Vancouver Canucks.
“We’ve got an enormous second half [of the season] so I just desired to make sure that I used to be ready,” he said.
Donald Trump Shouts Out Each the Men and Women’s Hockey Teams in His State of the Union Speech
Donald Trump brought out the Team USA men’s hockey team during his State of the Union speech in Washington D.C. on February 24, 2026, to say that they’d made “your entire nation proud.”
Trump briefly acknowledged that the ladies’s team also won gold in Milan and Cortina, before suggesting they “will soon be coming to the White House.” He then turned back to the boys’s squad to announce that he planned to provide goalie Connor Hellebuyck the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“I did take a vote … each one among them rapidly put up their hand up,” Trump told Hellebuyck. “What a special job you probably did, what special champions you’re.”
Vincent Trocheck Condemns ‘Politicization’ of Team USA Hockey’s White House Visit
On the heels of Team USA Hockey’s men attending the State of the Union speech, center Vincent Trocheck told reporters it was “sad” that his team’s White House visit was “getting politicized the way in which it’s.”
“We’re all very proud to be Americans, and we were all so proud to go [to the 2026 Winter Olympics] and win a gold medal,” he told reporters. “We went over there with a job, and it was to win gold and do it for our country and for everyone back here, and we were capable of try this.”
The U.S. men’s Olympic ice hockey team with Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images
He went on, “It’s sad that it robotically gets became something political when all we actually desired to do was represent everybody in here and everybody in our country in addition to we could.”
Trocheck revealed he’d never before visited White House or the U.S. Capitol, so he felt it was “such an honor to have the opportunity to go.”
Team USA’s Hilary Knight Slams Donald Trump’s ‘Distasteful’ Joke
Hilary Knight held nothing back during a press conference on February 25, 2026, as she condemned President Donald Trump making a joke at her team’s expense.
“We just thought the joke was distasteful and unlucky,” Knight told reporters. “I believe, just the way in which women are represented, it’s an important teaching point to essentially shine light on how women ought to be championed for his or her amazing feats. And now I form of have to take a seat, or anybody has to take a seat in front of you and explain another person’s behavior. It’s not my responsibility.”
Knight felt it was unfair to each the boys and ladies’s teams to be bogged down in a political controversy in light of their success on the Milan and Cortina games.
“Whatever’s happening should never outshine or minimize their work and our success on the world stage,” she said. “This was the very best American women’s hockey team we’ve ever put together on a world stage when the lights have been the brightest. I believe everyone felt that going through that.”
She concluded, “I would like to have a good time that [success]. I would like people to be remembered for that. I would like the legacy of this team to be remembered. That’s what I’m attempting to shift the narrative on and really focusing [on] and championing what we’ve done and what we’ve achieved the last two-and-a-half weeks together.”
Kelly Pannek Says Donald Trump’s Joke Was ‘Not Surprising’
Team USA’s Kelly Pannek spoke with reporters about her success in Milan and Cortina, along with the backlash over President Donald Trump’s joke.
“With the phone call specifically, it’s not surprising, to be frank,” Pannek said on February 25, 2026. “So I don’t know why we expect in another way, but I believe for us, it’s also nearly getting back to the concentrate on our team and what our team achieved.”
Hayley Scamurra Celebrates ‘Outpouring of Love’ From Fans
Team USA’s Hayley Scamurra briefly touched on President Donald Trump’s joke during a February 2026 appearance on the “Hockey Lifers” podcast, where she said she preferred to concentrate on the support her team received.
“I believe, you already know, the decision was what it was,” Scamurra admitted. “And truthfully, like, the outpouring of affection and support we’ve type of received since that has outweighed every other feelings that I actually have.”
Jack Hughes Addressed Laughing at Donald Trump’s Joke Concerning the Women’s Team
Talking to reporters on February 25, 2026, Jack Hughes tried to supply context on why he and a few of his teammates laughed at President Donald Trump’s joke at the ladies’s expense.
“You’re within the moment, the president calls,” Hughes explained. “We’re blaring the music after which they pause the music after which the president calls. I don’t think … obviously, it’s what it’s now.”
He continued, “We’ve got a lot respect for the ladies’s team. They’ve a lot respect for us. We’re all just proud Americans. We’re glad that we each swept the Olympics.”
Vice President JD Vance is giving Team USA some unsolicited advice because the athletes compete within the 2026 Winter Olympics. “My advice to them could be to attempt to bring the country together, and whenever you’re representing the country, you’re representing Democrats and Republicans,” Vance, 41, told CNN and other reporters on Wednesday, February 11. […]
Hughes asked the media to do not forget that he and his teammates “are only hockey players.”
“We did our job. We went over to the Olympics to win a gold medal and that’s what we did,” he said. “I’ve had the very best time of my life celebrating with my teammates that we achieved our goal. I’m a hockey player. We’re so proud to be back within the U.S. and celebrating our gold medal and to do it with our teammates, that’s the very best part.”
Team USA’s Tage Thompson Defends Wearing a ‘MAGA’ Hat During White House Visit
Team USA men’s hockey star Tage Thompson faced renewed backlash during his White House visit with President Donald Trump by wearing a Make America Great Again hat for the occasion. He stood behind the divisive fashion alternative while talking to Outkick on February 25, 2026.
“I’m proud to be an American, and I actually have my very own faith, my very own beliefs, and everybody’s entitled to their very own opinions and beliefs, as well,” he said. “I believe we must always have the opportunity to live in peace knowing that not everyone’s going to agree with you.”
Thompson insisted that his strong religious faith was at the middle of his support of Trump and his MAGA movement.
“Jesus is all the pieces to me,” Thompson said. “Obviously, we’re made imperfect. We’re all sinners, and we’d like him. And I fall short each day, and he’s the one I depend on.”
He added, “I believe when you might have that sense of hope, the grace and the mercy that I receive each day from him is something that provides me peace and joy in life, regardless of what I do. And he’s blessed me with this game and this chance to play the sport I really like at a high level, a stupendous family and friends, people [surrounding] me that I really like. And I’m just very grateful.”
Jeremy Swayman Says Team USA Men Should Have ‘Reacted Otherwise’ to Donald Trump’s Joke
Team USA men’s player Jeremy Swayman acknowledged that his teammates must have “reacted in another way” when Donald Trump made a joke concerning the women’s team.
“We all know that we’re so excited for the ladies’s team,” he told reporters. “We’ve got a lot respect for the ladies’s team. To share that gold medal with them is something we’re eternally grateful for. … Now that we’re home, we get to share that together eternally.”
Team USA Men and Women’s Stars Poke Fun at Trump Drama on ‘Saturday Night Live’
Team USA women’s players Hilary Knight and Megan Keller reunited with men’s stars Jack and Quinn Hughes on Saturday Night Live on February 28, 2026, to handle their controversy with President Donald Trump.
The Hughes brothers popped up during Heated Rivalry star Connor Storrie’s monologue to confess that they’d yet to see his sexy hockey-themed series because they were busy training for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.
The USA Hockey women’s players soon joined the boys on stage, with Knight joking: “It was going to be just [me and Megan] but we thought we’d invite the fellows too!”
Team USA hockey stars join Connor Storrie on “Saturday Night Live” Courtesy NBC/X
Keller teased that she and Knight decided to provide the fellows “a bit of moment to shine” by letting them come out first on Saturday Night Live. Later within the monologue, Jack celebrated the boys’s team winning their first gold in 46 years.
“And the last time we did that was two whole Olympics ago,” Knight quipped to large applause from the studio audience.
“Nice burn,” Jack conceded. “These gold medals aren’t only for us. They’re for all hockey fans.”