Martina Navratilova raises questions over Donald Trump & his allies' response after leaked Yemen war plan fiasco

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has criticized the public response to the Trump administration's latest alleged scandal. Trump's government stands accused of allowing an Atlantic journalist access to a restricted and highly sensitive group chat on the Signal messaging application.

The allegation suggests that journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was granted unfettered access to the app for several days and allowed to listen in on classified information about an imminent U.S. military strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Trump's team has rallied around the president, suggesting that Goldberg's reporting was unsubstantiated and incorrect.

Trump's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was a part of the group chat, stated, according to CNN.com, that Goldberg was a “discredited so-called journalist who’s made a profession of peddling hoaxes." The Atlantic has responded on its X (formerly Twitter) account, criticizing Trump's administration for attacking the media, rather than investigating those responsible for the error:

"Trump has grown frustrated with the negative headlines the Signal security breach has caused. Yet the president and his allies are focused on attacking the media rather than showing concern for the national-security blunder."

Martina Navratilova, a long-term Trump adversary and critic, was quick to add her voice to the Atlantic's concerns. On her X account, she wrote:

"The media reporting on this is NOT THE PROBLEM!!! The fact that it happened IS THE PROBLEM!"

Defenders of the government's position attempted to downplay the seriousness of the breach. According to euronews.com, they suggested that the blunder was a minor glitch made by a junior staffer, and that the success of the military operation in Yemen outweighed the security implications of the breach.

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Martina Navratilova's opposition to Trump's presidency was established some years ago

The Championships - Wimbledon 2023 - Source: Getty

Martina Navratilova has often commented on social media about her view of Donald Trump and his new government. The 18-time Major winner was interviewed as long ago as September 2017, after Trump was elected for his first stint as president. Navratilova went on The Late Late Show's YouTube channel to talk about her concerns. She said:

"I think he is a threat to the world, not just our country...I'm trying to do my part, to figure out how best to get involved, rather than just tweeting - that's not enough." (0.10 onwards)

Those views haven't changed for Trump's second term. After Trump's re-election in November 2024, Navratilova told her 455,000 followers on X that, in her view, Trump was less than truthful:

"A lying liar, and the lies he lies about"

Martina Navratilova has an influential public voice, despite retiring from tennis over 30 years ago. She uses various platforms to highlight a range of societal and political issues.