• Team USA won gold in both the men’s and women’s hockey and were both invited to the White House.
  • The men’s team was filmed laughing when President Trump said he’d be “impeached” if he didn’t also invite the women’s team.
  • Player Jack Hughes speaks out on the women’s team declining the invite and the backlash over the locker room footage.

Jack Hughes is speaking out amid backlash over the men’s hockey team laughing at President Donald Trump’s comments about the women’s team. Trump—who invited the men’s team to the White House to celebrate their win—said that he’d “be impeached” if he didn’t also invite the women’s team, prompting the entire group to laugh.

The women’s team later announced they’d be declining Trump’s invitation “due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments” but said “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.”

Speaking in Miami following the team’s return to the USA, Jack told the Daily Mail, “They’ve got busy schedules, too. Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today. People are so negative out there and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing.”

He went on to add, “Our relationship with them, over the course of being in the Athletes’ Village, I think we are so tight with their group. After we won the gold medal, we were in the cafeteria at 3:30 in the morning with them and we go from there, pack our bags and we’re on the bus. People are so negative about things. 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.”

Jack was also asked if he’s excited to visit the White House and said, “Yeah, we’re excited. Everything is so political. We’re athletes. We’re so proud to represent the U.S. and when you get the chance to go to White House and meet the president, we’re proud to be Americans and that’s so patriotic. No matter what your views are, we’re super excited to go to the White House tomorrow and be a part of that.”

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