U.S. Hockey Star Brady Tkachuk Calls Out White House TikTok as ‘Blatantly Fake’ After Anti-Canada Remarks
OTTAWA, Ontario — Brady Tkachuk, an American hockey player, expressed his discontent Thursday regarding a manipulated TikTok video released by the White House, which falsely portrayed him as insulting Canadians following his Olympic gold medal victory. He labeled the video as fake, asserting that such words would never come from him.
The controversial video features altered audio of Tkachuk allegedly calling Canadians “maple syrup eating (expletive),” with the expletive censored. A disclaimer on the video notes it “contains AI-generated media.”
“It’s clearly fake because it’s not my voice and not my lips moving,” Tkachuk stated emphatically. “I’m not in control of any of those accounts. … I know that those words would never come out of my mouth.”
When asked for his thoughts on the video, Tkachuk replied, “I would never say that. That’s not who I am.”
The White House has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the video.
Tkachuk also refuted claims that he was the voice heard shouting “close the northern border” during a celebratory phone call with former President Donald Trump after Team USA's 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in the Winter Olympics.
“I’ve been seeing stuff that people think it’s me, but if you watch the video, that’s not my voice and something that I never say,” he explained. “I don’t really know how that kind of took a storm on its own when I play here and give everything I have here.”
The 26-year-old Arizona native serves as captain for the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and has spent his entire career in Canada’s capital. He and his teammates returned from Italy this week, resuming their NHL season. Some players attended Trump’s State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday night, receiving cheers from the audience.
In a historic moment, the U.S. women’s team also triumphed over Canada 2-1 in overtime, marking the first time both American teams swept Olympic hockey tournaments. However, the celebration has been overshadowed by political discourse since the men’s game concluded.
During a postgame locker room call on speakerphone, Trump invited the men’s team to the White House, adding humorously, “We’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that.”
Some players chuckled at Trump’s remark, though at least one later expressed regret. Tkachuk acknowledged how the moment could be perceived by women players.
“I mean, I get it,” he said. “We supported them; they supported us. You can’t control what other people say.”
A number of men’s players visited Trump at the White House before attending the State of the Union. Meanwhile, many women’s players were returning to their professional or college teams and only learned of their invitation late Sunday, complicating travel plans already affected by severe weather on the East Coast.
Trump mentioned plans for the women’s team to visit the White House, although a timeline remains uncertain. The earliest opportunity for travel would be late spring after the conclusion of the PWHL season.
In a separate event, rapper Flavor Flav has organized a July celebration for the women’s team in Las Vegas for those able to attend.
Hilary Knight remarked earlier this week that she doesn’t want to let what she termed a “distasteful” joke by Trump overshadow a historic performance by American women at the Winter Games. Players from both U.S. teams have consistently highlighted their camaraderie in Milan and mutual support during their gold medal pursuits.
“Our two teams were so close. We watched other events together. We went and supported them. We loved the women’s team. The women’s team loved us and we’re so proud that we had a clean sweep of gold medals and just so much respect for them and the other athletes,” said Matthew Tkachuk, Brady’s brother and star player for the Florida Panthers.
Brady Tkachuk was asked about his pride in being American while serving as captain of the Senators amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Canada.
“First and foremost, I’ve given absolutely everything I have as an Ottawa Senator — blood, sweat and tears,” Tkachuk stated. “When you represent the U.S., being an American, it’s an honor. There are only three teams that have won the gold medal for the U.S., so to be part of that is special.”
