US President Donald Trump dropped an old video of himself volleying with tennis legend Serena Williams in a suit on Truth Social on Monday night. The video reportedly dates back to April 2015.
Trump, dressed in his usual formal attire — a dress suit, tie and formal shoes — could be seen scoring against Williams. In the nearly two-minute video, Trump can be seen hitting a few balls with Williams, with the audience cheering when he manages to make a successful hit.
Initially, the video shared randomly late on a Monday night sparked doubts about its authenticity. However, Trump quickly shared a community note that verified that the video was real indeed, and was captured during the grand opening of the new tennis centre at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
Sharing screenshots from 2015 news articles, a few netizens highlighted that Williams had “allowed him to score a point” during the light moment they shared on the court.
“It is an honour to have the incredible join us today to officially open this magnificent building — she is a true champion and is the greatest of all time,” Trump reportedly said, introducing Williams at the event, according to Snopes.
The video quickly gained attention, racking up over 3.2 million views.
Here’s how netizens reacted:
The Internet couldn’t stop wondering about the timing of the video, considering that Trump survived an alleged assassination attempt at the Saturday black-tie event and the ongoing .
“I can’t believe he is able to go out in public at all. i mean he survived 2 bullet shots, a second shooting attempt and constant death threats.. for the whole family too. the average person would be crippled with fear, trauma and anxiety. how in the world does he do it?” a social media user said.
Another user sarcastically added, “That ball didn’t just leave the court. It achieved escape velocity, cleared the stadium, flew over Mar-a-Lago, crossed the Atlantic, said hello to Europe, then kept going like it had important business in the Middle East.”
“DESPERATE MUCH? Pasting a video from over a decade ago to prove he likes black people or that he’s not weak and withered is a pathetic cope,” said a user.
“He’s posting 10-year old videos of him doing sports lately. Something’s wrong,” another user commented.
A netizen said that it was probably one of those “once-in-a-while crossover moments”. “Celebrities, politicians, and athletes run in similar high-profile circles—charity events, exhibitions, private gatherings—so you occasionally get these unexpected pairings. Still funny to see it though… Serena just casually rallying with a former president like it’s normal,” the netizen said.
Are Donald Trump and Serena Williams friends?
The viral video made the netizens question if Donald Trump and were friends, a speculation that first went viral in May 2024 when emails from 2017 were shown in court during the president’s hush money trial.
Those emails included a “preliminary list of people Trump frequently spoke to,” and Serena was on the list.
However, when Serena was asked about it, Trump said she got furious and refused to answer. “I mean, is this what this interview is about?” she told a New York Times journalist.
“I talk to a lot of presidents,” she said, adding, “I spoke to Barack, I spoke to the Clintons. I spoke to every president since I’ve been alive, including Ronald Reagan, I’ll have you know.”
