Serena Williams refused to address his relationship with the former president donald trump until after it was revealed that she was on his frequent call list in testimony at his criminal trial.
Williams, 42, has ended her tennis career just under two years ago and is considered by many to be the greatest player of all time. In an interview published on Saturday by The New York Times, Williams was asked about being one of Trump’s contacts.
“I mean, is that what this interview is about?” she responded to reporter David Marchese.
“When someone has the opportunity to speak to a president, I’m curious about what they talked about,” Marchese responded.
“I talk to a lot of presidents. I spoke to Barack, I spoke to the Clintons. I’ve spoken to every president since I’ve been alive, including Ronald Reagan, so you know,” Williams responded.
“What do you think they are looking for when they talk to you? What do they want to know? asked the reporter.
“I don’t know, I’m not going to do it,” Williams said.
Trump was convicted of all 34 criminal charges in his secret trial last month. The charges stem from a payment shortly before the 2016 election to adult actor Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006. Trump was convicted of falsifying business records to cover up the payment and keep her silent.
Williams was drawn into Trump’s trial when a former aide revealed that she was part of a group of people Trump spoke to “frequently” in early 2017, when he entered the White House.
Madeleine Westerhout, Trump’s former executive assistant at the White House, took the stand in May. As she testified, prosecutors showed emails between Westerhout and Trump Organization employee Rhona Graff.
“Could you ask the girls to make a list for me of people he talked to often? I don’t want to bother you all the time – although I still call often :)” Westerhout wrote to Graff on January 24, 2017, four days after Trump’s inauguration.
Graff soon sent an Excel spreadsheet of those Trump frequently spoke to Williams on that list.
Others mentioned included members of the Trump family; his former fixer Michael Cohen, who testified against him at trial; and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg. Former cable news hosts Bill O’Reilly, Jeanine Pirro and Joe Scarborough were also on the list.
Williams is said to have left Trump scored a point when they faced off in April 2015 during celebrations for a new tennis center at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. That summer, Trump announced his first run for president.
