Hockey star Hilary Knight fired back over President Donald Trump’s joke about inviting Team USA’s gold medal-winning hockey team to the White House.
“We just thought the joke was distasteful and unfortunate,” Knight, 36, told reporters on Wednesday, February 25. “I think, just the way women are represented, it’s a great teaching point to really shine light on how women should be championed for their amazing feats. And now I sort of have to sit, or anybody has to sit in front of you and explain someone else’s behavior. It’s not my responsibility.”
Trump, 79, took a shot at the women’s team during his locker room call with the Team USA men’s squad after they won gold over Canada at the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Sunday, February 22.
“We have medals for you guys. I must tell you, we‘re going to have to bring the women’s team,” Trump told the men’s team, prompting them to laugh. “[If I didn’t invite them], I do believe I probably would be impeached.”
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At Wednesday’s presser, Knight expressed her desire to start “shifting the focus and shifting the narrative” to both Team USA hockey teams winning gold.
“Granted, the men and the women’s team did it together,” Knight acknowledged. “That’s super special. It’s never been done in our program’s history. It’s something that we’re extremely proud about.”
Knight took time to celebrate the “amazing” women of Team USA who were seated with her for the press conference on Wednesday.
“Whatever’s going on should never outshine or minimize their work and our success on the world stage,” she added. “This was the best American women’s hockey team we’ve ever put together on a world stage when the lights have been the brightest. I think everyone felt that going through that.”
She concluded, “I want to celebrate that [success]. I want people to be remembered for that. I want the legacy of this team to be remembered. That’s what I’m trying to shift the narrative on and really focusing [on] and championing what we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished the last two-and-a-half weeks together.”
On Monday, February 23 , USA Hockey confirmed in a statement that the women’s team turned down an invitation to appear at Trump’s State of the Union speech in Washington D.C.
“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” USA Hockey said in a statement to NBC News. “They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”
Team USA men’s hockey standout Jack Hughes later attempted to downplay the political implications of the women’s team turning down a meeting with Trump.
“They’ve got busy schedules too,” Hughes, 24, told the Daily Mail on Monday. “Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today.”
Hughes complained that “people are so negative out there” and were “just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing.”
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Five members of the Team USA men’s hockey squad — Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel — skipped a visit with Trump at the White House prior to the State of the Union speech on Tuesday. They all opted to return to their NHL teams rather than make the trek to Washington D.C.
Among those Team USA men’s hockey stars who did attend, Quinn Hughes told Good Morning America on Tuesday that he was “excited” to visit the White House and attend the speech. His teammate Vincent Trocheck admitted to reporters on Wednesday that it was “sad” to see the White House visit become “politicized.”
“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,” Trocheck, 32, added. “We went over there with a job, and it was to win gold and do it for our country and for everybody back here, and we were able to do that.”
Trump celebrated both hockey teams’ Olympic success during his subsequent State of the Union speech, in addition to claiming that the women’s team “will soon be coming to the White House.”
