Before the USA’s heartbreaking loss to Canada in the 4 Nations Face Off final on Thursday, President Donald Trump called into the team’s locker room to offer some words of support.
Trump has stoked tensions between the two rivals of late with his suggestions that the United States should annex Canada as a 51st state, and he was every bit the proud American as he rang the American hockey squad before their 3-2 loss.
‘You guys are really talented. I have great respect for hockey players, I’m a hockey fan,’ he began, as seen in a clip posted to the POTUS X account.
‘I love hockey. The talent, the skill that you have is crazy. And just go out, have a good time tonight. And I just wanna wish you a lot of luck, you really are a skilled group of people. It’s an honor to talk to you. And get out there, and there is no pressure whatsoever,’ he sarcastically concluded, drawing a round of laughs from the players.
USA Hockey GM Bill Guerin, who had been holding the phone that Trump called, then told the President that everyone on the team were ‘all proud Americans’ and wanted to ‘represent our country the best way we can’ by getting a win.
‘You just go out and have a good time,’ Trump responded. ‘You’re going to win and we love America, we love you guys. We’ll be watching tonight.’
President Donald Trump called the USA hockey team on Thursday before their loss to Canada
Players and coaches could be seen reacting to the call in a video posted to the POTUS account
The USA team ultimately lost 3-2 to Canada in a sudden death overtime in Boston
Unfortunately for Trump and the American team, they didn’t get that win as Canada beat them 3-2 in a sudden death overtime finish.
The pep talk from Trump came before Chantal Kreviazuk, the singer of the Canadian national anthem on the night, took a dig at the President by changing the lyrics of ‘O Canada.’
Instead of singing ‘in all of us command,’ she said ‘in only us command’ – a rebuke of Trump’s recent comments in support of Canada being the 51st state of the US.
While fans slammed her performance and believed she had forgotten the lyrics, a representative for the singer told the CBC that the switch was done on purpose in response to Trump.
Trump has recently threatened an additional 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, which could go into effect on March 4 after his executive order on February 1.
He’s also poked at Canada by calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ‘governor.’
It’s not surprising, then, that ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was booed by Canadian fans when it was performed in Montreal last weekend, when the USA and Canada faced off during the round robin phase of the tournament.
The Americans returned the favor on Thursday as they booed ‘O Canada’ in Boston.
