Trump Photo Overshadows Women’s Tennis Champions

A photograph taken during a White House celebration for US collegiate champions has triggered criticism online after the women athletes being honoured were positioned behind a row of men, partially obscuring them in the image. The University of Georgia women’s tennis team visited the White House on Tuesday as part of an event recognising several National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title-winning teams. The team secured the NCAA Division I women’s tennis championship in May last year.

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In a photograph posted by a White House press aide, President Donald Trump stands at the front of a stage with five male members of the Georgia athletics staff. Behind them, the female players are arranged on risers in two rows.

Critics said the arrangement appeared to place the athletes being honoured out of view.

Photo arrangement sparks reaction

The men standing beside the president included Georgia deputy athletic director Ford Williams, athletic director Josh Brooks, head coach Drake Bernstein, associate head coach Jarryd Chaplin and assistant coach Will Reynolds.

The players positioned behind them were Anastasiia Lopata, Mai Nirundorn, Aysegul Mert, Sarah Branicki and Alexandra Vecic in the back row; Tatum Buffington, Guillermina Grant, Haley Gaudette and Sofia Rojas in the middle row; and Mell Reasco and Hayden Mulberry at the front.

Dasha Vidmanova, one of the team’s leading players, was not present. She was competing in qualifying matches at the Madrid Open at the time of the visit. Vidmanova is only the third women’s tennis player to win NCAA national titles in team, singles and doubles competition.

Former tennis champion Martina Navratilova was among those who criticised the image, posting on social media: “A photo is worth a thousand words.”

Online commenters also questioned why the athletes appeared behind staff members in the photograph.

Video shows greeting with staff members

A video shared by the same press aide showed Trump approaching the group and shaking hands with the five male staff members standing at the front. In the clip, he does not shake hands with the players positioned behind them.

Later the same day, the Georgia women’s tennis team posted the photograph on its official social media account, writing that it was “an honor” to represent the university at the White House and thanking the president for hosting the team.

The Georgia squad was one of seven championship teams invited to Washington this week to mark recent collegiate sporting victories.

White House sports visits sometimes contentious

Visits to the White House by championship teams are a long-standing tradition in American sport. However, such invitations have occasionally drawn political attention in recent years.

Before 2019, no women’s championship team had visited the White House on its own during Trump’s presidency, though some had attended events that included both men’s and women’s teams.

Four of the teams recognised at Tuesday’s event were women’s teams, alongside a mixed-gender rifle team.

Earlier this year, the US women’s ice hockey team declined an invitation to the White House after winning gold at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Players cited scheduling conflicts and prior commitments.

The decision followed remarks Trump made during a phone call with the US men’s hockey team, in which he joked about needing to invite the women’s team as well. The men later attended a White House event and were guests at the State of the Union address.

Women’s team captain Hilary Knight later described the comment as a “distasteful joke” that overshadowed the team’s Olympic achievement.

Comparisons with earlier criticism

The tennis team photograph has also prompted comparisons with earlier moments during Trump’s presidency that drew criticism over representation.

In 2017, an image showing the president signing an anti-abortion measure in the Oval Office while surrounded by eight male advisers prompted backlash from critics who noted the absence of women in the room.

The latest reaction comes amid scrutiny of the administration after several recent cabinet departures involving female officials.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 25 April 2026