On February 19, 2026, the U.S. women’s ice hockey team took the gold medal after defeating Canada 2-1 in the Winter Olympics. The U.S. men’s team went on to claim another gold medal for Team USA, just three days later. Following their victory, a video has surfaced online showing the men’s team celebrating with a call from U.S. President Donald Trump. The video allegedly shows Trump inviting the team to celebrate at the White House and to attend his State of the Union Address at the U.S. Capitol. The video then shows the men listening to Trump as he jokes that he would ‘have to bring the women’s team’ too, because if he did not invite them, he ‘probably would be impeached.’

The video has since received significant backlash over the nature of Trump’s comments and the athletes appearing to laugh in response. The call was facilitated by FBI Director Kash Patel, who appears in related videos celebrating with the team.

The White House has since congratulated both teams on social media. The women’s team did receive an invite to the White House after the video, but according to a USA Hockey spokesperson, they had to decline due to scheduling conflicts. They told NBC News that they were ‘sincerely grateful for the invitation’ extended to the women’s team. 

Olympic medallist and captain of the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team, Hillary Knight, has responded to the video. During an appearance on SportsCenter, Knight called Trump’s joke ‘distasteful,’ and said that it overshadows the success of the female athletes. Several other responses have followed Knight’s, including one from Sports commentator Keith Olbermann. In a post on X, he suggested that the men’s hockey team should refuse the invitation in respect for the women athletes, and to show up would be ‘declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny.’ 

The men’s hockey team did attend the State of the Union Address. During his speech, Trump brought out the men’s team, to which they received a standing ovation and chants of ‘USA.’ Trump also mentioned the victory of the women’s team and said that they would still be visiting the White House at a later date. 

The video has continued to receive attention in debates across platforms. Fans online have strongly criticised the team’s reaction during the video. This includes a petition calling for the men’s team to apologise. The moment has been said to ‘undermine, mock, and denigrate women athletes.’ 

Members of the men’s hockey team have responded to the criticism they have received. Jack Hughes, a hockey player for the winning Team USA, told Good Morning America that he was ‘extremely happy’ for the women’s team, and that they had celebrated together the night of the video. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman has also expressed the team’s excitement and respect for the women’s team, though he has said that they ‘should’ve reacted differently’ during the call.

According to Yahoo Sports, Kelly Panneck, a gold medallist and Team USA hockey player, has also responded to the comments Trump made. Panneck said that the phone call was not surprising, but that the focus should instead be on the women’s hockey team’s accomplishments. Panneck has also defended the men’s team from backlash. She has said that the women felt supported by the men’s team throughout the Winter Olympic Games.

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