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United States women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight has once again spoken out against President Donald Trump’s joke about her team.
While on the phone with the men’s team after winning gold, Trump said he “should” invite the women’s team, which also beat Canada to win the Olympics, to last week’s State of the Union address or he “would probably be impeached.”
During a recent appearance on Ilona Maher’s podcast, Knight reiterated his previous sentiment that Trump had made a “distasteful joke” but once again gave the men the benefit of the doubt about being in a “difficult environment.”
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Hilary Knight poses for a photo during the U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit in preparation for the Milan 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Javits Center on October 29, 2025. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)
However, Knight said the phone call and reaction is “a wonderful teaching point.”
“What we’ve accomplished is not laughable. It’s a very complex issue about what happens behind closed doors and how women are represented in different conversations, but at the end of the day, none of that should be forced on us to explain someone’s behavior,” Knight said. “What should be happening is celebrating all the women and their incredible achievements – especially our team and the men’s team as well – and the way the women performed at the Olympics, which was epic.
“Even though the situation was unpleasant, coming back to our different communities and seeing the overwhelming support on social media has been outstanding. We are celebrated the way we should be. I’m excited and can’t wait to continue these conversations and use this as a learning point about how we talk about women, not only in sports but in other industries. It should never be less than. It should always be about standing up for women and supporting each other. Throughout the tournament, I think both teams have done an incredible job of having real support and building friendships together. It’s a learning point, and we’ll continue to move forward, but I’m excited to celebrate all of our successes as badass women on the world stage doing our thing.
Hilary Knight of Team USA watches the second period during the Women’s Qualifiers Semifinal match between the United States and Sweden on Day 10 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 16, 2026, in Milan, Italy. (Grégory Shamus/Getty Images)
Jeremy Swayman, the men’s team’s backup goalie, admitted the team “should have reacted differently” to Trump’s comments. But he, Jack and Quinn Hughes all spoke highly of the women’s team and their relationship with them.
“We know we’re very excited for the women’s team. We have so much respect for the women’s team. Sharing this gold medal with them is something we will be forever grateful for,” Swayman said.
Jack Hughes told reporters After the game, the first thing he thought of when the puck went in was Megan Keller, who scored the U.S. women’s team’s golden goal against Canada three days earlier.
The brothers’ mother, Ellen, a former Team USA player and current member of the player development team, said the players only cared about “bringing[ing] so much unity for a group and for a country.
Kendall Coyne of the United States, left, and Hilary Knight of the United States celebrate after the victory ceremony for women’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, February 19, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP Photo)
Knight and Megan Keller, who scored the women’s golden goal, joined the Hughes brothers on last weekend’s “Saturday Night Live.”
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