Team USA ice hockey goaltender Jeremy Swayman delivered a dose of common sense to his snowflake teammates Wednesday, admitting they completely overreacted to President Trump's harmless joke during their recent White House visit.
Both the men's and women's Olympic hockey teams visited the White House after capturing gold medals, but what should have been a celebration of American excellence turned into another manufactured controversy when some players got their feelings hurt over Trump's playful banter about inviting the women's team.
"We should have reacted differently," Swayman told reporters, showing the kind of maturity and perspective that seems to be in short supply these days. The goaltender's honest assessment stands in stark contrast to the virtue-signaling and pearl-clutching that followed Trump's comments.
Another Fake Outrage Over Nothing
This is exactly the kind of manufactured drama that plagued Trump's first presidency. The man makes a lighthearted comment, the media and leftist activists blow it completely out of proportion, and suddenly we're supposed to pretend it's some kind of national crisis.
Patriots across America are sick and tired of watching our athletes and celebrities turn every interaction with President Trump into a political statement. These hockey players should be focused on representing their country with pride, not looking for reasons to be offended.
"We should have reacted differently to President Trump's joke about inviting the women's team to the White House." - Jeremy Swayman
Swayman's willingness to call out his own teammates shows real leadership and integrity. While other players were busy manufacturing outrage, he recognized that Trump was simply being Trump – making conversation and trying to keep things light during what should have been a celebration of American athletic dominance.
Time to Grow Up
It's refreshing to see at least one Team USA member willing to admit when his team got it wrong. Maybe other athletes will follow Swayman's lead and stop looking for reasons to be perpetually offended by everything President Trump says.
Americans deserve better from their Olympic representatives than manufactured controversy and virtue signaling. We deserve athletes who are proud to visit the White House and represent this great nation, regardless of who's sitting behind the Resolute Desk.