Donald Trump and his administration faced fierce backlash on social media over how they celebrated Georgia’s women’s tennis team. This week, the Bulldogs were amongst the numerous teams welcomed to the White House to mark their outdoor national title victory the previous year against Texas A&M.
It was the programme’s third title and its first outdoor championship in some years, with the president praising the Georgia team’s achievements. However, a photograph shared on social media left many deeply unhappy with the positioning of the tennis players in relation to their coaches.
An image posted to the X account of Margo Martin, Special Assistant to the President and Communications Adviser, showed the president celebrating with the women’s tennis team. Yet the arrangement of the players, standing behind an all-male coaching staff, sparked outrage among commenters.
“This 100% epitomizes MAGA and the women who support MAGA,” one fan wrote in response. “The women being honoured in the back, practically hidden, and the men in front. And the women just smile and take it because they’re just happy to be there.”
Another added: “The fact you think this is an acceptable photo is proof of the utterly misogynistic, self-centered world view of the Trump administration. It’s a wonder you let the female champions in the photo at all. You should be ashamed, @MargoMartin, you and Trump’s entire crew.”
A third suggested that the decision to position the stars behind the men reflected the current administration’s attitude towards others. “I can barely see the women… This is embarrassing, and the image is a great visual representation of the Republican Party’s attitudes towards women,” the comment read.
Overall, it seemed the arrangement of placing the men at the front and the women at the rear did not sit well with supporters. Alongside the awkward positioning, Trump also received a frosty reception while boasting about his executive order prohibiting transgender athletes from NCAA women’s sports.
Addressing the crowd directly, Trump said: “As soon as I took office, I ended a terrible injustice and banned men from competing in women’s sports. I don’t know if anybody agrees. Does anybody agree with that, that men should be able to play in women’s sports? Would you like to raise your hand?”
There were a few scattered laughs, though the audience firmly kept their hands down. He added: “Maybe it’s a little bit more than that coach, right? Maybe it’s 100-to-nothing. I campaigned on that one all the time. I say, ‘There will be no men in women’s sports,’ and people would go crazy. But you’re politically correct.”