Donald Trump ally responds to Winter Olympics backlash and blasts ‘very concerned media’ | Other | Sport
Kash Patel caused a stir with his appearance at the Winter Olympics (Image: Getty)
FBI director Kash Patel has responded to the backlash over his Winter Olympics appearance after Team USA clinched the gold medal in the men’s hockey. He was seen drinking beers and celebrating with the players in the locker room following their victory over Canada in the final. Patel also called Donald Trump and put him on speaker so he could congratulate the squad.
Trump was heard saying: “I can send a military plane or something. If you would like to, it’s the coolest night. We will do the White House the next day, we will just have some fun, we have medals for you guys.” He then spoke about the women’s gold medal-winning team, adding: “I must tell you, we’re gonna have to bring the women’s team. I do believe I probably would be impeached.”
Most of the male players responded by laughing, which prompted a major backlash on social media. Later, the women’s team announced they wouldn’t be celebrating with Trump after rejecting his invitation to the White House due to “the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments”.
Patel has since doubled down on his appearance on X (formerly Twitter), hitting out at the ‘very concerned media’ regarding the widespread backlash.
He wrote: “For the very concerned media – yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys.”
Patel finished his message with a typically patriotic touch, adding: “Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth.”
It comes after Jack Hughes, a member of the men’s hockey team, defended his team-mates over the criticism they have received for accepting Trump’s invitation and laughing at his joke about their female counterparts.
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Team USA defeated Canada to clinch gold in the men’s hockey (Image: Getty)
“Everything is so political,” said Hughes. “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.”
On the women’s team, Hughes added: “They’ve got busy schedules, too. Everyone is giving us backlash for all the social media stuff today.
“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, 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 3:30am in the morning with them and we go from there, pack our bags and we’re on the bus.
“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.”
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