“I must tell you — we are going to have to bring the women’s team.”

These were President Donald Trump’s words on the morning of Feb. 22, 2026 during a phone call with the U.S. men’s hockey team after their Olympic victory. One week earlier, the women’s team had secured gold of their own.

While the comment may not surprise those familiar with Trump’s rhetoric, it undermined the very spirit of the Olympics: athletes of every gender, race and nation deserve an equal place on the world stage.

The women representing the U.S. had a historic week at the Winter Olympic Games. Eight of twelve gold medals (62%) were won by women. This marks the 6th time in Olympic history where women exceeded men in overall medals won.

The U.S. women’s hockey team was part of this history, securing its third Olympic gold medal in an exhilarating overtime match against Canada Feb. 19.

This year, however, the U.S. women’s hockey team represented groups within the U.S. that often get overlooked in the Olympic realm.

Current Wisconsin defenseman and forward Laila Edwards is the first Black woman to play, score and win for the U.S. hockey team. U.S. captain Hilary Knight represented love within the queer community by proposing to her girlfriend and fellow Olympian Brittany Bowe in the Olympic Village.

The women received immense recognition and applause for their performance and character throughout the week. In many ways, their team gave the country hope and excitement for the next generation of female hockey players of all groups.

But this historic week of accomplishment and representation quickly gets diminished by our country’s leaders, as FBI president Kash Patel answers a phone call from Trump in the U.S. Men’s hockey locker room.

Minutes before, the U.S. Men’s hockey team won gold in a rivalry game against team Canada.

A video was released later that day showing the men’s team appearing to be on the phone with Trump as celebrations commenced. On the phone call, he congratulated them on the victory.

But instead of focusing on the men’s accomplishment, he found a way to downplay the women’s victory as well.

“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that,” Trump was heard saying over the phone to the men’s team. Trump said, “I do believe I probably would be impeached,” if he didn’t invite the women’s team along with the men to the State of the Union.

After all the great strides this week accumulated from years of hard work and triumph, Trump somehow found a way to reduce the women’s team to a joke and a burden.

But it wasn’t just Trump’s comment that sparked anger around the country, it was the way the players responded to these remarks.

The men’s team, standing around the phone, were seen laughing at Trump’s remark, laughing at the idea of the women’s team getting recognition.

It’s important to note the men’s team have shown immense support for the women all week. They attended all their games while maintaining close relationships with them. “I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us,” U.S. captain Jack Hughes said as criticism mounted.

It is unclear if the laughter came from a place of conformity or outright sexism, but regardless, it showed profound disrespect from the men’s team. A team built to lift the other up, relate through the journey and push the other towards the same goal instead did the opposite. The failure of the men’s team to laugh on behalf of the women’s team speaks volumes about a culture that condones inequality.

In many cases where women are used as the punch line, they will be told to get over it, that it’s just a joke or “locker room talk.” Women will get over it and continue to show up in spite of the comments made about them. They will get over it even when it’s the most powerful man in the country belittling them.

Later, the women’s team politely declined Trump’s seemingly half-hearted offer, stating, “We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal-winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement,” USA Hockey told NBC News. “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate.

The outrage at Trump’s remarks aren’t intended to undermine the accomplishments of the U.S. men’s team this week. Their gold medal was earned, their performance was elite and their victory over Canada deserved recognition. But so did the women’s performance.

Following these events, the women’s hockey team arrived home to celebrate with their country. While some players, such as Hilary Knight, remained outspoken about the lack of accountability, calling the comments “distasteful and unfortunate,” others chose instead to shift the focus toward the team’s accomplishments.

On Feb. 28, members of the 2026 U.S. Olympic men’s and women’s hockey teams appeared on Saturday Night Live. Players Jack Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Hilary Knight and Megan Keller were featured during host Connor Storrie’s opening monologue to celebrate both victories.

Knight delivered the punchline with, “It was going to be just us, but we thought we’d invite the guys, too.”

Rather than turning one team into a joke, the segment used humor to recognize the achievements of both teams; finally giving each the respect their performances deserved.

In the end, the Olympics have never been about who deserves a seat at the table. They are about representing something larger than any one moment or any one voice. And time and again, sport proves the same lesson: togetherness always wins.