US President Donald Trump released an old video on Truth Social Monday night of him volleying with tennis legend Serena Williams in a suit. The video is said to be from April 2015.
Dressed in his usual formal attire — suit, tie and dress shoes — Trump scored against Williams. In the nearly two-minute video, Trump can be seen hitting a few balls with Williams, with the crowd cheering when he manages to make a successful hit.
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The video, initially shared randomly, raised doubts about its authenticity late Monday night. However, Trump was quick to share a community note verifying that the video was indeed real and was captured during the grand opening of the new tennis center at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
Sharing screenshots from news articles from 2015, several netizens pointed out that Williams “allowed him to win the point” during the light-hearted moment they shared on the court.
“It’s an honor to have the incredible Serena Williams join us today to officially open this magnificent building — she’s a true champion and the greatest of all time,” Trump reportedly said as he introduced Williams at the event, according to Snopes.
The video quickly gained attention and garnered over 3.2 million views.
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Here’s how netizens reacted:
The internet couldn’t stop wondering about the timing of the video, considering Trump survived an alleged assassination attempt at Saturday’s blacktie event and ongoing tensions between the US and Iran.
“I can’t believe he’s even able to come out in public. I mean he survived 2 bullets, a second shooting attempt and constant death threats.. even to his entire family. The average person would be crippled with fear, trauma and anxiety. how on earth does he do it?” said a social media user.
Another user added sarcastically: “That ball didn’t just leave the court. It reached escape velocity, cleared the stadium, flew over Mar-a-Lago, flew across the Atlantic, said hello to Europe and then carried on like he had important business in the Middle East.”
“TOO DESPERATE? Posting a video from over a decade ago to prove he likes black men or isn’t weak and withered is a pathetic compromise,” said one user.
“He’s been posting 10-year-old videos lately of him doing sports. Something’s wrong,” commented another user.
The netizen said that it was probably one of those “once in a while transition moments”. “Celebrities, politicians and athletes move in similar high-profile circles – charity events, exhibitions, private meetings – so sometimes these unexpected pairings happen. Still, it’s funny to see…Serena just casually hangs out with the former president like it’s normal,” said a Netizen.
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Are Donald Trump and Serena Williams friends?
The viral video raised the question of whether Donald Trump and Serena Williams were friends, speculation that first became widespread in May 2024 when emails from 2017 emerged in court during the president’s trial.
The emails contained a “preliminary list of people with whom Trump spoke frequently” and Serena was on the list.
However, when Serena was asked about it, Trump said she became enraged and refused to answer. “I mean, is this what this interview is about?” she told a New York Times reporter.
“I talk to a lot of presidents,” she said, adding, “I’ve talked to Barack, I’ve talked to the Clintons. I’ve talked to every president since I’ve been alive, including Ronald Reagan, I’ll let you know.”
