'Leave her alone': Internet divided as Serena Williams outraged over questions about Trump after being named on regular call list

WASHINGTON, DC: Even after it was disclosed during the testimony at Donald Trump's criminal trial that Serena Williams was on his regular call list, she has declined to discuss her connection with the former president, according to the Independent.

Notably, The New York Times published an interview with Williams on Saturday, June 15, during which she was questioned about her affiliation with Trump.

Serena Williams reacts strongly to questions about her relationship with Trump

Williams responded to reporter David Marchese, "I mean, is this what this interview is about?" to which Marchese replied, "When somebody has a chance to talk to a president, I’m curious what they talked about."

Williams answered, "I talk to a lot of presidents. 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."

The reporter asked, "What do you think they’re looking for in talking to you? What do they want to know?" to which she replied, "I don’t know, I’m not going to go there."

During his hush money trial in May, Trump was found guilty on all 34 criminal counts. The allegations are related to a payment made to adult actress Stormy Daniels, just before the 2016 election, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006.

Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records to hide the money made to her in exchange for her silence.

Notably, when a former aide disclosed that Williams was among a group of persons that Trump spoke to "frequently" in early 2017 after taking office, Williams was brought into the case against Trump.

In May, Madeleine Westerhout, Trump's former White House executive assistant, made a stand. Prosecutors displayed emails between Westerhout and Rhona Graff, a worker for the Trump Organization, during her testimony.

Westerhout wrote to Graff on 24 January 2017, four days after Trump’s inauguration, "Could you have the girls put together a list for me of people that he frequently spoke to? I don’t want to have to bug you all the time – even though I will still call often :)."

Graff promptly forwarded a spreadsheet including the names of people Trump frequently spoke with, including Williams.

Internet reacts to Serena Williams's response

People on the internet stayed divided and had mixed reactions as Serena Williams declined to discuss her connection with former president Donald Trump.

Some online comments read, "Serena has proven that she is all about the money," and "I am intrigued. I could understand 1 call but to be on the frequent calls list? That’s strange to me. She got defensive really quick too."

A user wrote, "She has the right to talk with anyone she wants, and it is nobody's business. The right to privacy should be observed by all," while one added, "People have the right to freedom of association. We may not think much of who their friends are, but it's not right to harass them about it."

A person also stated, "No one really cares (especially me), what Serena Williams says or does, not relevant," whereas one mentioned, "Oh, leave her alone. She's an individual and she can do what she wants."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.