US men's hockey team players' mum defends son's response to Trump's 'sexist' joke following backlash
The mother of an Olympian who attempted to defend a 'sexist' joke Donald Trump made about the women's hockey team has spoken out.
For anyone out of the loop with the sporting scandal, it all began following a 2-1 victory by Team USA's women's hockey team against their Canadian rivals in the finals in Milan over the weekend.
Following the win, Trump extended an invite to the female squad to attend his upcoming State of the Union address.
A spokesperson for the women's team told NBC they'd declined Trump's invitation to Washington D.C., however, citing 'timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments'.
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They added of the group: "They were honoured to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgement."
Days earlier, the American men's hockey team secured an identical victory against Canada, after which the Republican leader personally called them to offer up a congratulatory message.
What did Trump say about the women's team?
In a video that has since gone viral online, Trump, 79, tells the men - who are in the midst of a locker room party: "We’re giving the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. I could send a military plane or something, if you would like to. It’s the coolest night. It’s the biggest speech."
Cheering, the athletes then communally claimed, 'We're in', after which Trump's tone changed as he brought up their female equivalents.
"And we have to - I must tell you - we’re going to have to bring the women’s team," he added. "[If I don’t] do that, I do believe I probably would be impeached, OK?"
Unsurprisingly, Trump's remarks quickly landed both him and the men's team, who were heard laughing at his 'sexist' remarks, in hot water.
How did critics respond?
One online critic slammed the comments about the women's team as a 'misogynistic disgusting a** joke'.
"Yeah, you can hear the sexist joke as well," another noted.
"The women have medaled in all eight of their Olympic appearances and just won their 3rd gold," a third also pointed out. "The men hadn't won gold since 1980, and have medaled in only half of their appearances. But of course, the women's invite was turned into a joke."
Despite the backlash Trump's remarks sparked, one individual firmly on his side was Jack Hughes - a member of the men's hockey team, who was in the locker room when the President called.
What did Jack Hughes say about the viral video?
Defending the right-wing leader, winning goal-scorer Hughes, 24, insisted in conversation with the Daily Mail that the men's and women's teams are much closer than they appear, and that any laughing at Trump's remarks observed in the viral video was done with love.
Despite this, Hughes also seemed to question the girls' decision to decline the politician's invitation, adding of his own team: "They've got busy schedules, too. Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today."
Of the criticism the male players have received, he continued: "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.
"Our relationship with them [the women's team], 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 am in the morning with them, and we go from there, pack our bags and we're on the bus."
Hughes went on to reiterate once again: "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."
The athlete also confirmed in the same breath that his teammates are 'excited' to meet with the President.
"Everything is so political," he continued. "We're athletes. We're so proud to represent the US 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."
How did Hughes' mother respond?
Hughes response to the criticism he and his teammates received also spurred his own mother, Ellen - who just so happens to be the player development consultant for Team USA women’s ice hockey - to speak out.
Oddly, however, as opposed to standing up for the female group she works alongside each week, however, she sided with Trump.
Seemingly attempting to brush over the controversy entirely, Ellen Hughes told TODAY: "At the end of the day, it's just about the country."
She went on to explain: "These players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country. People that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that’s all both the men’s team and the women’s team care about."
Ellen also defended her son's comments about the supposed 'synergy' between the men's and women's groups.
"If you could see what we see from the inside, and the men and women sharing," she continued. "You know, dorm rooms and halls and flex floors and the camaraderie and the synergy and the way the women cheered on the men and the way the men cheered on the women - that’s what it’s all about.
"And the other things they cannot control. They care about humanity. They care about unity and they care about the country."
Topics: Sport, Olympics, World News, News, Politics
Rhianna Benson