The 2026 Winter Olympics were a historic win for Team USA, with both the men’s and women’s NHL teams winning gold medals. Following the men’s win against Canada, Donald Trump called the team in their locker room to congratulate them and extend an invitation to the White House and the State of the Union address. But during the call, he joked about inviting the women’s team or risk being “impeached.” Soon after, the way the men reacted to the joke went viral!

Several NHL players could be heard laughing loudly, with one shouting “absolutely” and another calling out “two for two.” Seeing all this happening, Charles Barkley, former NBA star and current TNT and CBS Sports analyst, voiced his frustration over the overreaction and slammed the media.

Speaking on the Steam Room podcast, Barkley called the reactions “stupid” for blowing a locker room joke out of proportion.

“Why do y’all have to mess up everything?… That’s why we got this divided, screwed-up country. Stop it, man. Because the public, they’re idiots, they’re fools. They can’t think for themselves. I know y’all say stuff to trigger them. Y’all say stuff and y’all know they’re going to be fools.”

This all came after Megan Rapinoe, who publicly called the men’s NHL team “clowns” for letting a political moment overshadow their achievement and for being seen as too close to the president in that moment.

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“And, I’m just like … why don’t you respect you more than to have that moment be taken by someone for no reason at all, take a huge swing and a jab at women who did the exact same thing you did?”

The 11-time NBA All-Star also cited high-profile athletes like Steph Curry, LeBron James, Jalen Hurts, and Rapinoe to have a more general message.

He believes that sports are being dragged into political crossfire too often! Although Barkley emphasized that he was not a Trump supporter, things would have been different had he received a call to the White House. 

“I’m not a Trump guy. But if I got invited to the White House, I would go. I’m not a Trump guy, I want to make that clear. But I respect the office. He’s the president of the United States… it doesn’t have to be a talking point. I don’t have to be un-American. I just wish y’all would stop falling for stupidity.”

Sure, in the days that followed, some members of the U.S. men’s NHL team expressed regret over how they reacted.

Goalie Jeremy Swayman said, “We should’ve reacted differently. We know that we are so excited for the women’s team. We have so much respect for the women’s team. To share that gold medal with them is something that we’re forever grateful for.”

Charlie McAvoy also apologized: “Certainly sorry for how we responded to it in that moment.”

Despite the controversy, the men’s and women’s NHL gold medals cannot be taken away, but the women’s team turned this whole situation into a quiet but pointed statement, making it clear that their achievements stand on their own.

Undefeated NHL champions choose poise over politics

The women’s NHL team of the United States made history to win at the 2026 Winter Olympics, defeating Canada 2-1 in overtime on Feb. 19. The game-tying goal was scored by Hilary Knight in the late stages of the regulation period. Megan Keller scored the overtime goal, making the game an undefeated tournament, where the team scored 33-2.

It marked the third Olympic championship of Team USA in women’s hockey.

The victory, however, was momentarily overshadowed by politics.

Although the women were officially invited, they declined the White House visit, citing scheduling conflicts.

A USA Hockey spokesperson shared, “Due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments following the Games, the athletes are unable to participate. They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment.”

Shortly afterwards, NHL player Hilary Knight, a five-time Olympic champion, addressed the comment in an interview with CBS Mornings, calling it “distasteful and unfortunate.” She stressed that their achievement and their communities were the concern of the team.

“To double down and have people support us when we returned from that journey was incredible. We’re just excited to share that with our respective communities and continue to do our thing and be awesome representatives and great humans.”

Following the initial refusal, Trump publicly mentioned the women’s team again during the State of the Union address, saying they “will soon be coming to the White House.”

However, no date has been scheduled yet, and the Women’s NHL team has not confirmed a visit.