OPINIONS: “Is it that deep?” — a look into President Trump’s phone call with the Olympians

On Sunday, February 22, President Donald Trump called the USA Olympic men’s ice hockey team to congratulate them on their gold medal win against Canada and to invite them to celebrate at the White House. He then made a sexist quip about having to invite the women’s hockey team, who also won gold, to which the men’s team laughed. 

“I must tell you, we're going to have to bring the women's team, you do know that? [If I didn’t] I do believe I probably would be impeached," said Trump.

Ever since, there has been intense online discourse about the moment. News outlets such as NBC News, USA Today, and The New York Times have all reported on the incident, and the clip has gone viral on social media. Across the internet, people have taken to comment sections to show their outrage towards the men’s team.

“All people have to say is ‘It isn’t that deep.’ This is the f------ president of the U.S. s------- on the female hockey team despite them literally doing better than the mens,” commented user @ndudgwnak on a TikTok video. 

Others are angry about the public’s negative response to the video.

“Oh shut up. Both teams won gold. He made a joke about inviting the women too — that’s not ‘putting the men first,’ that’s people actively looking to be offended,” commented user @misscath40 on the same post.

When an act this blatantly disrespectful occurs, there should be no argument over its offensiveness. Labelling people’s outrage as “people actively looking to be offended” invalidates all women. Sexism in athletics is an ongoing, corrosive issue that is constantly shoved in the faces of female athletes.

At the high school, students seem to be split three ways — the first two in clear support or opposition to the team's reaction.

“It made me feel upset because the women achieved the exact same thing as the men's team. So, why is one a joke?” said Sydney Kim ’26.

The third reaction seems to be indifference. When asked how the video made him feel, Arthas Goutham ’26 said, “Why would I care about that? How does that apply to me? I am not the one who laughed.”

But when male athletes are able to discredit even the topmost female athletes in the world, what does that teach the next generation of young men? When professional athletes — many who are idolized by young boys — demonstrate that women don’t need to be taken seriously, how will these boys internalize that lesson?

While the joke might seem harmless, it is coming from the president of the United States. And when people in such high positions act in such a way, it normalizes misogyny and creates a society where it is acceptable, and even encouraged, to dismiss women and their achievements — no matter how impressive those achievements may be.

So yes, it is that deep.