President Trump and Olympic hockey — women having breakdown over a joke.
President Trump made the comment to say that the women’s team would be included. He was jocular about it, just as he was jocular when referencing the performance of our goalie (I won’t even try to spell his name from memory). The depth of this breakdown is bizarre.
Men’s hockey is a unique sport in the context of the Olympics for Americans. We’ll have champion, skiers or skaters, or even bobsled teams. But in hockey – men’s hockey – that is not so much the case. We have tended to be deficient. The 1980 Miracle stands out because of this, and because of the political situation at the time. This 2026 victory stands out because of the 46 years, because of the traditional American deficiency in this area, and frankly because of certain tensions, we see even among our allies.
Hence, for the President to treat this men’s team victory with a little more relish than the women’s team has a certain social and political logic. A lot of people might not even realize there is women’s hockey in the Olympics. But every American with more than five brain cells knows about men’s Olympic hockey. There is a difference.