Brady Tkachuk is pushing back after a White House social media post used AI to make it seem like he insulted Canadians. The U.S. Olympic gold medalist said the video was fabricated and made clear the words in it were not his. The Ottawa Senators captain called the clip fake and said it does not reflect who he is.
Brady Tkachuk calls out White House’s AI TikTok post
The controversy began after the White House shared a TikTok video that appeared to show Tkachuk using an anti-Canada slur following Team USA’s 2-1 overtime win over Canada for Olympic gold. The video included doctored audio and carried a note stating it “contains AI-generated media.”
Tkachuk did not hold back. “It’s clearly fake because it’s not my voice and not my lips moving,” he said. “I’m not in control of any of those accounts. … I know that those words would never come out of my mouth.” He added, “I would never say that. That’s not who I am” (via AP News).
Tkachuk also shared that he was not the one who shouted “close the northern border” during a celebratory speakerphone call with Donald Trump after the title game. He pointed to the footage and said the voice in the clip does not match his. He made it clear he would never say something like that.
The 26-year-old forward grew up in Arizona. He has played his entire NHL career in Canada and currently serves as captain of the Ottawa Senators. Tkachuk claims he has poured everything into the franchise and given his “blood, sweat, and tears” to the team.
The political chatter kicked up right after a milestone win on the Olympic stage. The U.S. women edged Canada 2-1 in overtime. That victory sealed a rare sweep. For the first time at a single Winter Games, the United States captured both the men’s and women’s hockey gold medals. The buzz did not stay on the ice. A few players later showed up at the State of the Union address delivered by Donald Trump. During the speech, Trump said his team was arranging a White House visit for the women’s squad as well.
