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United States women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight once again spoke 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 “would have” to invite the women’s team, which also beat Canada to win the Olympics, to last week’s State of the Union address, otherwise he would “probably be impeached.”
In a recent appearance on Ilona Maher’s podcast, Knight reiterated her earlier sentiment that Trump made a “disgusting joke,” but 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 US Olympic Team Media Summit in preparation for the Milan 2026 Olympic Winter Games at the Javits Center on October 29, 2025. (Robert Deutsch/Image Images)
However, Knight said the phone call and reaction is “a wonderful teaching point.”
“What we accomplished is not ridiculous. It’s a very complex issue regarding 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 our fault to explain someone’s behavior,” Knight said. “What should be happening is celebrating all the women and their incredible feats, specifically our team and also the men’s team, and how the women performed at the Olympics, which was epic.
“While the situation was unpleasant, returning to our different communities and seeing the overwhelming support on social media has been extraordinary. We are being celebrated the way we should be. I’m excited and I look forward to continuing those conversations and using this as a learning point for how we talk about women, not just in sport but in other industries. It should never be anything less. It should always be about standing up for women and supporting each other. Throughout the tournament, I think both teams did an incredible job of having genuine support and building friendships together. This is a learning point and we’re going to keep moving forward, but I’m excited to celebrate all of our success as badass women on the world stage doing our thing.”
Hilary Knight of Team USA watches in the second period during the Women’s Playoff Semifinal game between the United States and Sweden on Day 10 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 16, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Jeremy Swayman, the men’s team’s backup goalkeeper, admitted that the team “should have reacted differently” to Trump’s comments. But he, Jack and Quinn Hughes spoke highly of the women’s team and their relationships with them.
“We know we’re very excited for the women’s team. We have a lot of respect for the women’s team. Sharing that gold medal with them is something we will always be grateful for,” Swayman said.
Jack Hughes told reporters After the game, the first thing she thought about when the puck went in was Megan Keller, who scored the U.S. women’s national 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 staff, said the players only cared about “bringing[ing] so much unity to a group and a country.”
Kendall Coyne, left, of the United States, and Hilary Knight of the United States celebrate after the women’s ice hockey victory ceremony at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Feb. 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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