2026 Winter Olympics: US player Brady Tkachuk on White House AI video
BBC News5 days
Tkachuk Denies White House AI Video Mocking Canadians
Is Trump's political trolling overshadowing Olympic sportsmanship or is the U.S. president just finally standing up for American pride?
Above: Brady Tkachuk celebrates Team USA’s 2–1 gold-medal win over Canada at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Feb. 22. Image credit: Elsa/Getty Images
The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
Trump's AI-generated mockery and distasteful jokes about women athletes have completely overshadowed the historic achievements of Team USA at the Olympics. The White House's fake video putting words in Tkachuk's mouth that he explicitly disavowed shows how political gamesmanship is drowning out genuine athletic excellence and disrespecting players who compete for Canadian teams.
Pro-Trump narrative
Years of anthem booing, player taunts, and even public jabs from Justin Trudeau show this rivalry has never been one-sided. Yet outrage only erupts when Donald Trump answers back and celebrates the United States' strength. Others needle America with impunity, but when Washington pushes back it’s called a scandal — Trump is simply refusing to let the U.S. be the world’s punching bag any longer.
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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0