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Olympic women’s bobsleigh legend Kaillie Humphries presented her Order of Ikkos medal to President Donald Trump on Thursday.
She choked up and became emotional as she spoke at a Women’s History Month event at the White House, recalling her pride in becoming a mother thanks to IVF treatment made possible by Trump’s policies.
His Order of Ikkos medal, which is awarded to someone who has made an impact on an Olympian’s journey, was given to Trump because of the president’s IVF policies and his efforts to “save women’s sports” from biological men.
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“I want to recognize the support and impact you have had on women’s sports throughout the Olympic movement, particularly in mobilizing to keep biological females in women’s sports,” Humphries said. “Additionally, your policies create greater access to IVF, so families like mine can continue to grow.
“I believe this makes you the first president in history to receive the Order of Ikkos.”
Trump responded by saying, “I knew I liked him.”
Humphries publicly aligned herself with Trump and the Republicans during an interview with PK Press Club Digital on February 27, shortly after winning two bronze medals in Milan Cortina, becoming the most decorated women’s bobsledder in Olympic history.
Humphries revealed her vote for Trump, her support for protecting women’s sports, controlling immigration as a legal immigrant from Canada and her support for the U.S. men’s hockey team for embracing Trump after winning gold amid backlash from the left.
Humphries said she has had to deal with her own left-wing backlash since then.
“Some people disagreed with my views and made that known,” Humphries told PK Press Club Digital on Thursday.
“A lot of insults. You get called every name and every word humanly possible… and, at the end of the day, politics can be very emotional for people, and I understand that. And everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and what they stand for.
“It’s their opinion, and I don’t have to like it or agree with it. I wish it were different, but that’s how it works.”
Kaillie Humphries, a bronze medal-winning American Olympic bobsled athlete, presents the Order of Ikkos to President Donald Trump during a Women’s History Month event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg)
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Humphries said that throughout her journey as an athlete, she became accustomed to competing with a “target on her back.”
“I’m used to competing with a target on my back. I’m used to people not believing or wishing harm, hoping for better for them,” she added.
“Being in an environment where I’m not the most welcome or the most appreciated, I think that might contribute in part to becoming the most successful bobsledder in Olympic history. So I’ve learned to deal with that. You will find your people. You will always find your people.”
Bronze medalist Kaillie Armbruster Humphries of the United States kisses her son on the podium in the women’s bobsleigh monobob at the Cortina Sliding Center during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, February 16, 2026. (Marco Bertorello/AFP)
During her speech Thursday, Humphries choked up several times, especially when it came to becoming a mom to her 1.5-year-old son.
She remembers how she was told she wouldn’t be able to achieve elite-level competition results after giving birth and the satisfaction that comes from defying those notions.
“There was no guarantee that this would happen in my journey to becoming a mom,” she said. “A lot of people have told me, ‘Your body will never be the same again. And you’ll never be able to get back on the Olympic podium.’ …So, more than anything, I wanted to be able to show the world that you can have it all. Pursue your dreams.
“Everyone likes to put limits on people, moms in particular, that your body is never the same, your mind will never be the same. And those limitations can be scary for a lot of women.”
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Humphries defied those fears alongside her 2026 U.S. team bobsled teammate, Air Force service member Jasmine Jones, who is a fellow mom. The two came together to become the first mom duo to win a bobsleigh medal for the United States in Olympic history.
“It means so much,” Jones told PK Press Club Digital. “You can choose to be a parent and still pursue your dream and your goal. So to be that first mommy duo to compete in the Olympics and get a medal just goes to show in the future that other athletes who come forward and also want to start a family can do that and still be an athlete.”
