The captain of the U.S. women’s hockey team, Hilary Knight, said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s phone call to the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team was “distasteful.”
Knight, a five-time Olympic medalist, told ABC’s Good Morning America that the now-viral locker room call overshadowed a historic achievement for both teams and should serve as a reminder about how women’s sports are discussed publicly.
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“I thought the call in itself was distasteful and an awesome learning moment to refocus the narrative and understand [that] our words matter,” Knight said. “How we speak about women matters, and we need to celebrate this team.”
Trump made a phone call to the U.S. men’s hockey team after it captured gold at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, the program’s first gold medal in decades. During the call, the president invited the players to attend the State of the Union address and joked that he would also need to invite the women’s team, or he would “probably be impeached,” prompting laughter from the players in the room.
Video of the exchange quickly gained traction and drew criticism from athletes and fans who argued the remark minimized the women’s accomplishments after they had already secured gold in earlier games.
Thursday morning’s interview was not the first time Knight has addressed Trump’s phone call.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Knight said the focus should remain on the athletes’ performances rather than the political moments that distract from them. She emphasized that the men’s and women’s teams maintain strong mutual respect and support despite the backlash surrounding the video.
Several members of the men’s team later addressed the incident, with goaltender Jeremy Swayman saying players “should have reacted differently,” while others stressed the close relationship between the two programs.
Jack and Quinn Hughes, whose mother, Ellen Hughes, is a consultant for the women’s team and a former Team USA player, also noted that the teams have continually supported each other during and after the games.
Ellen Hughes told the Today show that “at the end of the day, it’s just about the country,” and she’s most happy to see people who don’t watch hockey cheering on the teams.
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The dispute has unfolded against the backdrop of a rare double triumph for Team USA hockey, marking one of the most successful Olympic tournaments in U.S. hockey history.
The women defeated longtime rival Canada in the gold medal game, securing the program’s third title, while the men followed suit with their own championship days later.
