Women Aren’t Less Than’: Hilary Knight Sends Powerful Message After Donald Trump Remark
U.S. women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight addressed a controversial comment made by former President Donald Trump following the United States’ dramatic gold medal wins at the 2026 Winter Olympics calling the remark a “distasteful joke” that she believes has unfairly shifted the spotlight away from the women’s team’s historic success.
The remark occurred during a celebratory phone call from Trump to the U.S. men’s hockey team after they won Olympic gold. On speakerphone in the post-game locker room, Trump said, “We’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” adding with a laugh that if he didn’t include them, “I do believe I probably would be impeached.” Video of that quip and the ensuing laughter from some men’s team players quickly went viral, touching off public debate.
Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter, Knight who scored the tying goal late in the women’s gold-medal win over Canada said she found Trump’s comment “sort of a distasteful joke” and expressed concern that it was distracting from the joy around American women’s Olympic achievements.
“We’re just focusing on celebrating the women in our room, the extraordinary efforts, and continuing to celebrate three gold medals in program history as well as the double gold for both men’s and women’s at the same time,” Knight said. She added that the team wants attention on athletic accomplishment rather than political commentary.
Knight went a step further, suggesting the moment offers a bigger conversation about how women are talked about both in sports and in wider professional life: “Women aren’t less than, and their achievements shouldn’t be overshadowed by anything else other than how great they are.”
Members of the men’s team have since weighed in, with figures like goalie Jeremy Swayman acknowledging that the reaction to Trump’s joke “should’ve been different” and stressing strong support for the women’s squad.
While the majority of the U.S. men’s team accepted a White House invitation and attended the State of the Union address, the women’s team declined due to logistics and scheduling conflicts as players transition back to professional and academic commitments. USA Hockey expressed deep appreciation for the recognition, despite the timing issue.
Beyond the controversy, Knight’s performance at these Games underscored her legendary status: this was her fifth Olympics, and she left Milan with her second Olympic gold, the most Olympic goals (15) and points (33) of any American player, male or female.
Knight’s response reflects a commitment to keeping the spotlight on sport and achievement, while also highlighting ongoing conversations about respect and equality for women athletes in the public arena.
Source: ESPN
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons U.S. Mission Korea
