Fact Check: Real photo shows female athletes standing behind men with Trump

TL;DR

A photo showing Donald Trump with the University of Georgia women's tennis team is authentic, despite the women's team being partially obscured by men in the front. The image was shared by Trump's staff and confirmed by the team's official accounts.

Key points

The photo shows Trump with the University of Georgia women's tennis team.
The women's team was partially obscured by men in the front.
The image was confirmed as authentic by Snopes.
The event celebrated the women's team's NCAA championship win.

Mentioned in this story

University of GeorgiaDonald Trump

2025 NCAA national championship

Image shows U.S. President Donald Trump standing in front of members of the University of Georgia women

Margo Martin, accessed via X, illustrated by Snopes. **Claim:** An authentic photograph shows U.S. President Donald Trump and other men standing in front of and partially obscuring a champion women's tennis team. **Rating:**

Rating: True In April 2026, a photograph spread online purportedly showing U.S. President Donald Trump and a group of men standing in front of a champion women's tennis team. Many online noted that the female athletes whose achievements were being celebrated were partially obscured in the photograph by the men. Snopes readers emailed us to confirm whether the photograph was real. One wrote: "There's an image going around of a White House celebration for Georgia Women's Tennis with the team hidden in the background while Trump and a bunch of men are prominently posed in the front. Is this a real image?"

**(Image via Snopes reader)** The image was authentic. There is no evidence it was generated by artificial intelligence or digitally manipulated. The photograph was shared online by one of Trump's staff members and reposted by the official accounts of the women's tennis team featured in the background of the shot. As such, we rate this claim as true. We reached out to the White House to ask why the women and men were positioned that way and will update this article should we hear back. The women were all members of the University of Georgia's women's tennis team, which won the . According to , the men in the front were University of 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 women in the back row were Anastasiia Lopata, Mai Nirundorn, Aysegul Mert, Sarah Branicki and Alexandra Vecic. The women in the middle row were Tatum Buffington, Guillermina Grant, Haley Gaudette and Sofia Rojas, and in the front row with Trump, Mell Reasco and Hayden Mulberry. Margo Martin, whose verified X account describes her as a special assistant to Trump, posted the image on April 21, 2026. Martin shared the () with the caption: "Congratulations, Georgia Women's Tennis!" Martin also shared a of Trump walking up to the riser where the athletes stood for their photo. The men were already lined up in front of the women when they greeted Trump and he did not shake the women's hands in the video. The University of Georgia's women's tennis team's official account shared the same photograph of the athletes posing with Trump with the caption: "An honor to represent the University of Georgia at the White House today! @realdonaldtrump thanks for having us out!" and photos of Trump greeting female athletes on other occasions show him shaking their hands and has them in the photographs. For further reading, Snopes reported on an authentic video in which Trump told the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team he would also for a victory celebration or he "probably would be impeached."

Q&A

Is the photo of Trump with the Georgia women's tennis team real?

Yes, the photo is authentic and was shared by Trump's staff and the women's tennis team's official accounts.

Who are the men standing in front of the Georgia women's tennis team in the photo?

The men include University of Georgia Deputy Athletic Director Ford Williams, Athletic Director Josh Brooks, and head coach Drake Bernstein, among others.

What was the occasion for the photo with Trump and the women's tennis team?

The photo was taken during a White House celebration for the University of Georgia women's tennis team, which won the 2025 NCAA national championship.

Why were the female athletes obscured in the photo with Trump?

The positioning of the men in front of the women has raised questions, and the White House has been contacted for clarification on this arrangement.