White House post after US hockey win over Canada stirs controversy

The White House has celebrated the US’s triumph implicit Canada successful the men’s hockey last astatine the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 2026 with a politically charged message, sharing a societal media station showing a bald eagle appearing to battle a goose – 2 animals that symbolise each state respectively.

The representation connected Sunday was successful effect to a 2025 station by then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that said, “You can’t instrumentality our state — and you can’t instrumentality our game.”

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Trudeau’s connection had travel aft Canada bushed the United States astatine the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament, erstwhile US President Donald Trump was regularly making the lawsuit that Canada should go the 51st authorities of the US.

While Canadian politicians did not remark straight connected the White House post, which came aft the US claimed the Olympic golden medal pursuing a 2-1 sudden-death overtime triumph successful Italy, journalists and different observers criticised the Trump medication for its tone.

“Stay classy, America,” Stewart Prest, a governmental subject prof astatine the University of British Columbia, wrote successful effect to the post.

Journalist David Rider responded to the White House station by highlighting the dwindling fig of Canadian visitors to the US.

“There should beryllium scoreboard tallying the billions of Canadian tourism dollars mislaid to the US that accelerates arsenic Trump and his White House gloat, faster than borderline states, Florida and Vegas tin rotation retired their ‘come back, we emotion you’ campaigns,” Rider wrote connected X.

After the US triumph connected Sunday, Trump wrote connected his Truth Social platform: “Congratulations to our large U.S.A. Ice Hockey team. THEY WON THE GOLD. WOW!.”

“LOTS OF WINNING!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” helium added.

US-Canada tensions

While Canada-US hockey games ever ignite good-natured banter betwixt fans, Sunday’s contention comes amid months of governmental tensions betwixt the neighbouring countries.

Shortly aft his predetermination successful 2024, Trump began floating the thought of annexing Canada to beryllium the 51st state, sparking condemnation from Canadian politicians.

Once helium took bureau aboriginal past year, the US president rapidly made it wide that helium views Ottawa – 1 of Washington’s closest allies, historically – arsenic a rival.

Throughout the past year, Trump has imposed oregon threatened to enforce additional tariffs connected Canada, often pointing to the US commercialized shortage with its bluish neighbour.

Most recently, the US president threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Canadian imports to punish Ottawa for reaching a commercialized woody with Beijing.

At the World Economic Forum successful Davos past month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney articulated a scathing critique of Trump, without naming the US president.

He argued that the planetary bid of accepting US hegemony successful speech for the “public good” Washington produces, which helium described arsenic a “bargain”, was nary longer working.

“Let maine beryllium direct. We are successful the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” Carney said.

“Over the past 2 decades, a bid of crises successful finance, health, vigor and geopolitics person laid bare the risks of utmost planetary integration. But much recently, large powers person begun utilizing economical integration arsenic weapons, tariffs arsenic leverage, fiscal infrastructure arsenic coercion, [and] proviso chains arsenic vulnerabilities to beryllium exploited.”

During his predetermination run past year, Carney filmed an advertisement with comedian Mike Myers, successful which some wore Team Canada hockey gear.

Meyer’s displacement said “Never 51”.

Trump appeared to instrumentality a peculiar involvement successful Sunday’s game, sharing 3 antithetic posts astir it.

Meanwhile, the White House’s X relationship shared 7 posts astir the US victory.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who is facing calls for resignation for suggesting helium would not entity if Israel were to grow crossed astir of the Middle East, took the speech successful a wide antithetic direction.

“What??? The feline scoring extremity for 1st USA Gold Medal successful hockey since 1980 is simply a Jew? Oh my. I’m definite the Jew-haters volition accidental Mossad was down it!” Huckabee wrote successful a societal media post.

“I accidental conscionable observe the unthinkable triumph for the USA & beryllium grateful for Jack Hughes emotion for the USA & his teammates!”

Jack Hughes, left, and his brother, Quinn Hughes, right, observe the US’s golden medal triumph [Mike Segar/Reuters]

Carney expressed pridefulness successful his country’s show astatine the Olympics, including the hockey team.

“You’re coming location with 21 hard-fought Olympic medals,” helium said connected X. “Though what Canadians volition retrieve astir is however you wore the Maple Leaf: with pride, with grit, and with determination.”

Congressman Randy Fine, a Trump state with a past of racist and Islamophobic statements, responded to Carney’s connection with “Congratulations, Governor”, arsenic though the premier curate were the person of a US state, not a sovereign country.

Last year, Trump regularly referred to Trudeau, Carney’s predecessor, arsenic “governor”.