Charles Barkley has had enough of the controversy surrounding Team USA hockey — specifically, the men’s team’s visit to the White House.
“Why do y’all have to mess up everything?” Barkley, 63, asked on the Monday, March 2, episode of his “The Steam Room” podcast, which he hosts with Ernie Johnson. “Everything is not Democrat, Republican, conservative or liberal. 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.”
Johnson, 69, jumped in to add that the controversy came after President Donald Trump’s perceived disparaging comments toward the women’s team during a phone call congratulating the men on their gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
As the men’s team celebrated their 2-1 overtime win over Canada on February 22, Trump, 79, called FBI director Kash Patel, who was also in the locker room. Talking to the team over speakerphone, Trump said, “We have medals for you guys. I must tell you, we‘re going to have to bring the women’s team. [If I don’t invite them,] I do believe I probably would be impeached.”
Video shared widely over social media showed the players laughing at the president’s comments. Several players have since come forward to say they regret how they handled the situation and to reiterate their respect for the gold-medal-winning women’s team.
“We don’t have to fall for stupidity,” Barkley continued. “These people out here are stupid, they need something to trigger them. Just cause they want us to be stupid, we don’t have to be stupid. He should have invited both teams to the White House. Simple as that. Guys who didn’t want to go, shouldn’t have to explain why they didn’t go.”
Barkley added that his comments were unrelated to his own political leanings and that he would have gone if invited.
“I’m not a Trump guy. But if I got invited to the White House, I would go,” he said. “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.”
Twenty of the 25 players on the Team USA men’s hockey team ultimately visited Trump in the White House on February 24, then attended his State of the Union address that night. The women’s team declined the invitation, citing scheduling conflicts because of the last-minute invitation.
Trump claimed in his address that the women’s team would visit the White House “soon.”
