Martina Navratilova slams 4.6B-worth Donald Trump's stance on women's welfare after controversial PRAMS shutdown
Tennis icon Martina Navratilova has once again shared her views about Donald Trump and his presidency. The 18-time Grand Slam winner is a long-term critic of the US President for a range of issues. This time, she was incensed by news that Trump's administration had closed down PRAMS (The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System).
Since re-taking office in January, Trump's government, led by multi-billionaire Elon Musk, has been systematically shedding government departments and federal workers. Trump, who is worth $4.6 billion (according to Forbes), and Musk insist that the Washington bureaucracy was vastly over-sized, and they could save billions of dollars for the US economy by reducing it.
Navratilova is never shy to come forward with her opinion on social media. She responded to a post on X from American journalist Josh Marshall, who posted:
"Everyone who works for PRAMS (the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) at CDC was terminated today. That appears to be the end of a critical program which monitored infant and maternal health nationwide across pregnancy, childbirth & postpartum."
18-time Major champion Navratilova added her own commentary to the news:
"Anyone still thinks trump is pro women? Those who do, STFU about him protecting women’s sports. He hates trans people. He doesn’t give a damn about women."
PRAMS was an ongoing survey of new mothers administered jointly by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and state health departments. The Trump government has announced that it intended to cut 2400 jobs from the CDC and 10000 from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Martina Navratilova is a leading advocate for women's rights in the US
Martina Navratilova is a respected voice on the political left. A staunch defender of LGBTQ and women's rights, the 68-year-old uses her various social media platforms to get across her point of view. She's firmly of the view that transgender males should not compete in women's sports.
In 2022, Navratilova told Guardian.com:
“The female sport category has to be protected. The male windpipe is 25 to 50% larger than the female airway, which means they can get more oxygen. And that doesn’t shrink when you take hormones. You know me. I’ve always tried to do the right thing rather than the popular thing.”
The tennis legend Navratilova was World No. 1 for 332 weeks in the 1970s and 1980s. She also won 167 singles titles and 59 Major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. The Czech-born naturalized US citizen has a legitimate claim as the greatest women's player of all time.