US tennis star Amanda Anisimova has made headlines this time not for her exceptional performance, but for refusing to take part in the mainstream media’s bashing of US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Speaking at a press conference during the 2026 Australian Open, a reporter asked Anisimova how it feels to ‘play under the American flag right now’, later adding that he meant in the context of ‘the last year of everything that’s been happening in the US.’
The reporter clearly wanted Anisimova to condemn the actions of the Trump administration—possibly including ICE raids against illegal migrants, provoked and at times deadly encounters between federal law enforcement agents and progressive protesters and Antifa mobs, and certain foreign policy decisions—but that is not what he got.
Anisimova began by underlining that she is ‘always proud to represent’ the United States, adding that ‘a lot of us are doing really well’ on both the women’s and men’s sides of the sport. ‘I feel like we’re all doing a great job representing ourselves.’
The reporter then asked a follow-up, making clear that he was looking for a condemnation. ‘Does [what has been happening in the US] complicate that feeling?’ he asked again, giving Anisimova a ‘second chance’ to say what the mainstream media and Democrats so badly wanted to hear.
But that is not what happened. ‘I don’t think that is relevant,’ she replied. No condemnation, no criticism—nothing.
The clip from the press conference quickly flooded right-wing social media and went viral on X. It was originally posted by The Tennis Letter account, garnering 3.8 million views and more than 30,000 likes in 24 hours. It was also shared widely among right-wing political commentators and journalists, who argued that Anisimova’s refusal is another sign of the right winning the culture war since President Trump took office a year ago.
Given the reporter’s tone, the accusatory nature of the question, and Anisimova’s reaction, the exchange bears a striking similarity to Sydney Sweeney’s infamous GQ interview.
In July 2025, Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney quickly became one of the most admired celebrities among MAGA supporters after her controversial advertising campaign with American Eagle triggered a progressive backlash over a slogan that the cancel-culture mob described as white supremacist. Sweeney’s social media was raided by accounts demanding an apology for something she never did, harassing her, and even wishing her death.
Yet the tactic no longer appears to be effective. Sweeney repeatedly refused to apologize. When invited to GQ, Katherine Stoeffel asked whether the actress wanted to ‘say something about the ad’, giving her an ‘opportunity to talk about’ addressing the criticism directed at her. Sweeney replied that the ad had spoken for itself, prompting the reporter to offer a similar ‘second chance’ question to the one asked of Anisimova. ‘I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear,’ Sweeney responded.
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