Trump’s Phone Call to U.S. Men’s Hockey Team Sparks Controversy
A sports journalist from The Atlantic expressed his frustration on social media regarding a joke made by President Donald Trump after congratulating the U.S. men’s hockey team for their victory over Canada.
During a phone call with the team, Trump said, “I just told the people…I said I’m going to give the State of the Union on Tuesday night…If you want, this is the coolest night ever,” inviting the players to join him.
He continued, “What would be really cool – and we’ll do it next time at the White House – just have fun, you guys have medals. And we have to, I have to say, we have to bring the women’s team, you know that?”
The team chuckled at this, and Trump remarked, “I believe we’re probably going to be impeached,” implying that failing to invite the women’s team might lead to repercussions, especially since they also secured a gold medal.
The women’s team, however, turned down an invitation to attend Trump’s State of the Union address.
Sally Jenkins, a writer for The Atlantic, expressed dissatisfaction in response to Trump’s comments. She pointed out, “To those on the U.S. men’s hockey team who laughed at the idea of sharing a White House visit with a woman, the NHL often lags behind the WNBA in ratings,” she noted in a tweet on Monday.
She backed her argument by citing statistics: “WNBA viewership in the U.S. last season was over 960,000 per game, while NHL viewership averaged 440,000 per game.” Jenkins also highlighted that American women won 17 medals at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, compared to 12 for American men.
In another tweet, Jenkins pointedly wrote, “Oh my god, how tough are these hockey guys! Yes, on average, more Americans watched a WNBA game last season than an NHL game. You can ask Grok all you want, # remains the same. Do something about it.” This seemed to emphasize a growing conversation about respect in sports.
David Harsanyi, a senior writer at Washington Examiner, challenged Jenkins’ comparisons between NHL and WNBA viewership, suggesting that the better reference point should be the WNBA against the NBA, and the NHL against the PWHL.
In response, Jenkins pushed back, stating, “Sorry, did I use the wrong fork? NHL games draw less than 500,000 American viewers per game. There are many women’s sports that are more popular, including softball.”
Jennifer Sey, an author and the CEO of XX-XY Athletics, criticized Jenkins for her remarks on medals, recalling a previous column where Jenkins had made derogatory comments about gymnasts who were abused.
The ongoing dialogue brings to light various perspectives within the realm of sports, especially as it relates to gender recognition and respect.
The Atlantic did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
