A White House photo celebrating a champion women’s sports team has drawn backlash due to the positioning of Donald Trump and a group of men, overshadowing female athletes.
According to The Guardian, the University of Georgia women’s tennis team was one of several collegiate teams to visit the White House on Tuesday to mark a recent championship win.
In a photo shared by press aide Margo Martin, Donald Trump and five Georgia staffers and coaches took up the front row of a stage setup, with 11 women standing in the background on a riser.
The men standing alongside Trump were, Georgia deputy athletic director Ford Williams, athletic director Josh Brooks, head coach Drake Bernstein, associate head coach Jarryd Chaplin and assistant coach Will Reynolds.
Former tennis star Martina Navratilova wrote on X“A photo is worth a thousand words …”
“Who approved this photo?” one commenter wrote. “Me when I definitely respect women’s sports teams: what if we put them behind us so you can barely see them,” another said.
In a video shared by Martin, Trump approaches the group and shakes the hands of the five men, but does not do the same to the women.
The Georgia team shared the photo on its official account later in the day, with the caption, “An honor to represent the University of Georgia at the White House today! @realDonaldTrump thanks for having us out!”
Georgia, who won the NCAA Division I women’s tennis championship last May, were among seven teams honored for their titles at the White House this week.
