A single sentence was enough to reignite tensions between the presidency and American women's sports. On February 22, 2026, while congratulating the men's Olympic ice hockey champions, Donald Trump sparked a heated controversy with a remark deemed derogatory towards their female counterparts.

A "joke" against the backdrop of impeachment

During a live broadcast, surrounded by the players and FBI director Kash Patel, the president declared:

"We'll have to bring in the women's team, you know that. I'd probably be dismissed if I didn't."

While the remark elicited laughter from the audience, it was immediately perceived as a scathing critique of "political correctness." By suggesting that inviting women is a chore imposed by political pressure, Donald Trump appeared to downplay the achievement of the American women's hockey team, who also won gold at the Milan-Cortina Games after a historic victory against Canada.

The champions' response

The response from the sports world was scathing. On February 25, iconic captain Hilary Knight expressed her bitterness on ESPN:

1. A lack of respect: She condemns it as a "bad taste joke".
2. An overshadowed achievement: According to her, these comments steal the spotlight from her team's athletic performance.

An electric atmosphere

The signs of a rift were already visible: the day before this incident, the women's team had declined the invitation to the State of the Union address, officially citing scheduling conflicts. This diplomatic argument barely conceals a deep rift between the champions and the government, against the backdrop of a struggle for equal recognition in professional sport.