Hilary Knight, captain of the U.S. Olympic women’s ice hockey team, has spoken out against a remark made by Donald Trump that she described as sexist following the team’s gold medal victory.
The issue arose during celebrations for the U.S. men’s championship win, when the president called into their locker room and invited the team to attend the State of the Union at the White House. According to reports, the call was on speakerphone, and Trump joked that the women’s team would also need to be invited, adding that he might be impeached if they were not included.
While some of the men reportedly laughed, Knight later said the comment was inappropriate and distracted from the women’s accomplishments. She stressed that the focus should remain on celebrating the women’s success, including their historic gold medal achievement and the shared milestone of both teams winning gold.
The incident sparked discussion, with men’s forward Jack Hughes defending the locker room atmosphere in an earlier television interview. He said the men’s team strongly supports the women’s squad and takes pride in their achievements, emphasizing the mutual respect between the two groups.
Knight acknowledged that the attention surrounding the remark has overshadowed the strong bond between the teams. She suggested the men were placed in an uncomfortable position and expressed disappointment that the controversy detracted from their shared celebration.
Teammate Kelly Pannek echoed that sentiment, noting the mutual encouragement both teams felt throughout the tournament. She added that the president’s comment was not entirely unexpected.
Men’s goaltender Jeremy Swayman also reflected on the moment, saying the team has deep respect for the women’s program and is grateful to have shared in the historic double gold achievement, though he admitted they might have handled the situation differently at the time.