US President Donald Trump is facing backlash after making a misogynistic crack about the US women’s ice hockey team, despite their recent gold-medal win at the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina.
Reaction intensified after three players from the women’s squad addressed comments Trump made during a Sunday phone call with the men’s team, who also took Olympic gold. During the exchange, Trump suggested he’d need to host the women at the White House too, or else risk impeachment, as several members of the men’s team laughed.
“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” Trump said with a chuckle during the call while members of the men’s team were seen drinking beer in a locker room with FBI director Kash Patel. If he didn’t, Trump joked he would face impeachment.
The comments came shortly after most of the men’s team visited Trump at the White House earlier in the week, with some also attending his State of the Union (SOTU) address on Tuesday night. The women’s team reportedly turned down an invitation to the SOTU due to prior commitments. Still, Trump told lawmakers during his speech that the women would be at the White House ‘soon’, though the team has not publicly confirmed any upcoming meeting.
Women’s team captain Hilary Knight later responded to the moment, criticizing what she saw as a sexist tone and stressing that women’s achievements deserve full respect.
Knight called the remark ‘distasteful’, though she also noted the men’s team was put in an awkward position, per ESPN.
“Unfortunately, that is overshadowing a lot of the success of women at the Olympics carrying for team USA and having amazing gold medal feats,” Knight, who also leads the Seattle Torrent, said.
“We’re just trying to focus on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continue to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men’s and women’s at the same time.”
She added that, in her view, there is real mutual support between the two programs, but that it has been eclipsed by what she characterized as a brief misstep.
“I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it’s a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and overshadowing that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering each other on,” she said.
“I think this is just a really good learning point to really focus on, you know, how we talk about women,” Knight continued. “Not only in sport, but in industry. Women aren’t less than, and our achievements shouldn’t be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are.”
Forward Hayley Scamurra, who plays for the Montréal Victoire, also weighed in on Tuesday’s episode of The Hockey Lifers podcast, describing the call as ‘what it was’ while emphasizing that the team has been buoyed by widespread encouragement from supporters.
Two-time medalist Kelly Pannek, a Minnesota Frost forward, echoed that perspective in post-win interviews, saying she wasn’t taken aback by the tone of the call and that the team’s priority is keeping attention on what they accomplished on the ice.
“With the phone call specifically, it’s not surprising, to be frank,” Pannek told reporters. “So I don’t know why we expect differently, but I think for us, it’s also just about getting back to the focus on our team and what our team accomplished.”
Two-time gold medalist Kelly Pannek on the men’s locker room comments. pic.twitter.com/5WCIBoeL7J
— Jessi Pierce (@jessi_pierce) February 25, 2026
“The video is what it is, you’d have to ask them their feelings on it,” she added.
As some fans urged the men’s team to apologize for their reaction, Team USA player and Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman said on Wednesday that they didn’t handle the moment the way they should have.
“We know that we are so excited for the women’s team,” he added (via New York Post Sports). “We have so much respect for the women’s team, and to share that gold medal with them is something that we’re forever grateful for.”