Simone Sanders Comments on Trump’s Use of Hockey Team in State of the Union
Simone Sanders, a former top advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris and the 2020 Biden campaign, expressed her frustration on Tuesday night regarding President Donald Trump’s remarks during his State of the Union address. She felt that the U.S. men’s hockey team, which recently won a gold medal, was used as a “political prop” in the president’s speech.
“They shouldn’t be used as political props, and frankly, they really shouldn’t,” Sanders said during a discussion on MS NOW, following Trump’s introduction of the team. He presented the team’s goaltender with a prestigious civilian honor.
“This definitely raises questions for future discussions,” she continued. “It’s pretty evident why the president made that move. What I find unclear is why he chose to allow the men’s hockey team to be leveraged in this manner.”
Sanders emphasized that there’s no opposition to supporting U.S. athletes or the country itself.
In response to her comments, some critics on social media accused Sanders of being a “political prop” herself. Notably, the hockey team’s presence was among the few moments that drew a standing ovation from Democrats during Trump’s address.
“Miserable people, just miserable,” remarked a conservative video producer on social media.
“Shut up, Pac!” added conservative commentator Bo Snerdley.
“Because Democrats never use people as political props,” quipped NewsBusters editor-in-chief Tim Graham, commenting sarcastically.
Polls indicated a largely positive reaction to the moment when the U.S. men’s hockey team entered the House in their uniforms, particularly among independent voters. Lee Carter from polling group Maslansky & Partners noted that viewers particularly enjoyed the moment when Trump donned a USA sweatshirt, which was met with chants of “USA.”
Trump had invited the hockey team to the address after their recent victory over Canada in the Winter Olympics finals. While he praised the team in his speech, he also acknowledged the goalie, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
According to the polling data, the introduction of the hockey team received a strong response, especially from independent and Republican voters, while Democratic enthusiasm also saw a slight uptick during the speech. A total of 29 Democratic voters, 41 Republican voters, and 30 independent voters participated in the audience polling.
