This claim is false. The original Bluesky link seems to lead to a deleted post, but searching the Bluesky handle "thetnholler.bsky.social" on google followed by the last part of the link "3mfoshtff2222" leads to a result that, although also leading to a deleted post, is captioned: "This seems like an AI video. Why would she be doing that interview in her jersey? Also the cadence is weird". This leads to the conclusion that Hilary Knights statement, "even if the White House offered to send a military plane to pick us up, we would refuse without hesitation" originated from a video (A TikTok video shows the clip here, but it is unclear if this is the original upload) of Knight that is believed to be AI. This clip has circulated (and also since been deleted) on multiple social media platforms, including the now deleted Bluesky post from The Tennessee Holler. The voiceover has signs of AI use, such as "voice cloning flaws" like lack of natural pauses and flat tones, and websites such as Snopes have stated that they believe the video of Knight is AI.
While the original post/statement linked is very likely to be AI, Knight has made an actual response to Trumps comment about the women's hockey team twice. During an interview at the Space Needle alongside other Women's Hockey Team members, Knight says that she believes that "the joke was distasteful and unfortunate", but that this moment can be used to shed light on how women should also be recognized for their achievements. On a SportsCenter interview for ESPN, she states that rather than focusing on the comment, the team is going to use the time to focus on celebrating both teams winning the gold medal in the Olympics. These two interviews are reliable evidence of Knights actual statement on the matter, with both of them being interviews corroborated by multiple news outlets, and one being a live, recorded interview in Seattle. As for the refusal of the Whitehouse invitation itself, an article by NBC News reports that the US Women's Hockey Team did decline, but that it was "due to the timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments".
https://www.tiktok.com/@fjfwb0/video/7610753277583494431?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
https://www.resemble.ai/how-to-tell-if-a-video-is-ai-generated/
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hilary-knight-white-house/
https://www.nbcchicago.com/olympics/2026-milan-cortina/hilary-knight-addresses-trumps-comment-about-womens-hockey-team-mens-response/3900508/
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/48033965/hilary-knight-responds-trump-comment-women
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/us-womens-hockey-team-declines-trumps-invitation-state-union-rcna260299
