Donald Trump sparks fury after ‘hiding’ champion ladies’s crew behind line of males
Donald Trump faces backlash after a photo showed champion female tennis stars hidden behind a line of men during a White House celebration event
Donald Trump sparked anger after a photo emerged of a women’s sports team hidden behind a wall of men
Donald Trump has sparked anger after a White House photo emerged showing a champion women’s sports team hidden behind a wall of men.
The controversial snap, taken during a celebration for collegiate champions on Tuesday, shows the University of Georgia women’s tennis team relegated to the background while the President and five male staffers hog the limelight in the front row.
Critics were quick to point out that the 11 female athletes, who actually won the trophies, were stuck on a riser behind Trump and a group of suits, including Georgia’s athletic director Josh Brooks and head coach Drake Bernstein.
The backlash was spearheaded by tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who blased on X: “A photo is worth a thousand words…”
Other social media users were less subtle, with one posting: “Who approved this photo?”
Another mocked the President’s supposed support for female athletes, saying: “Me when I definitely respect women’s sports teams: what if we put them behind us so you can barely see them.”
Adding fuel to the fire, behind-the-scenes footage shared by press aide Margo Martin appeared to show Trump shaking hands with the five men in the front row while seemingly bypassing the women.
While the Georgia team remained diplomatic, posting that it was an “honour” to visit, the incident has reopened old wounds regarding Trump’s relationship with women’s sports.
The visit comes just months after the US women’s hockey team famously snubbed a White House invitation following the Milano Cortina Olympics.
That boycott followed a controversial phone call where Trump joked about “needing” to invite the women while chatting with the gold-medal-winning men’s team.
Team captain Hilary Knight didn’t hold back at the time, branding the comment a “distasteful joke” that detracted from their Olympic success.
The photo placement has drawn direct comparisons to a 2017 viral image of Trump signing an anti-abortion executive order while surrounded exclusively by male advisors.
It also comes at a nightmare time for the administration’s PR, following a string of high-profile departures of female officials.
With the exits of Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer in recent weeks, critics have accused Trump of running the least diverse cabinet in US history.
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