Team USA hero Jack Hughes addressed the backlash he’s faced after laughing at President Donald Trump’s joke about the Team USA women’s hockey team.
“You’re in the moment, the president calls,” Hughes, 24, told reporters on Wednesday, February 25. “We’re blaring the music and then they pause the music and then the president calls. I don’t think … obviously, it is what it is now.”
Hughes added, “We have so much respect for the women’s team. They have so much respect for us. We’re all just proud Americans. We’re happy that we both swept the Olympics.”
Both the men’s and women’s teams defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime in their respective gold-medal games at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Hughes scored the game-winning goal for the men.
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After the men were victorious on Sunday, February 22, Trump, 79, called the team during their raucous locker room celebration and invited them to meet with him at the White House.
“We have medals for you guys. I must tell you, we‘re going to have to bring the women’s team,” Trump said.
The president added that he would “probably be impeached” if he didn’t invite the American women.
In videos that went viral on social media, members of the men’s team, including Hughes, could be seen laughing at Trump’s remarks.
Hughes and almost the entire Team USA men’s hockey team met with the president at the White House on Tuesday, February 24, with many of the players, including Hughes, attending that evening’s State of the Union address.
“You’ve got to remember, we’re just hockey players,” Hughes said on Wednesday night. “We did our job. We went over to the Olympics to win a gold medal and that’s what we did. I’ve had the best time of my life celebrating with my teammates that we accomplished our goal.”
He continued, “I’m a hockey player. We’re so proud to be back in the U.S. and celebrating our gold medal and to do it with our teammates, that’s the best part.”
Hughes returned to NHL action on Wednesday, with his New Jersey Devils losing 2-1 to the Buffalo Sabres. Hughes recorded an assist on the Devils’ only goal of the time.
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The American player was honored with a pregame ceremony before the game, which was attended by his parents, Ellen and Jim, at New Jersey’s Prudential Center.
“I really do love living in New Jersey, playing in New Jersey,” Hughes said after the game. “I just feel like they accepted me so deeply and I feel like I’m their guy. Every time I drive in for these games, I see people walking at 4:30 p.m. with Hughes jerseys on and I roll my window and scream at them — they love that.”
Sabres star Tage Thompson, who also won gold with Team USA at the Olympics, joined Hughes for part of the ceremony.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Thompson, 28, told reporters after the game. “He’s a class act … cares about his teammates, cares about his country, his team. Obviously, he scores the overtime winner, and that’s supposed to be a moment for just him, and to include me in that was really special, and I definitely appreciated it.”
