President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and some of Trump’s top allies in Congress attended Game 5 of the series in Washington on Oct. 27.
Wearing a suit and a tie, Trump arrived at Nationals Park just before the first pitch of the Houston Astros-Washington Nationals matchup. Hours earlier, he had announced that U.S. forces had assaulted the hiding place of ISIS terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who killed himself and three children when he detonated a suicide vest during the raid in northeast Syria.
Trump and First Lady Melania Trump entered a lower-tier box to the left of home plate as the game got underway. At that point his presence wasn’t formally announced, but baseball fans in the section just below Trump’s suite turned to look toward the box as he arrived. Some waved at the president as he smiled and gave a thumbs-up.
At the end of the third inning, ballpark video screens carried a salute to U.S. service members that drew cheers throughout the stadium. When the video cut to Trump and his entourage and the loudspeakers announced the Trumps, some in the crowd started to boo and heckle the president. Chants of “Lock him up!” broke out in some sections.
Trump appeared unfazed and continued waving.
The president was on hand for seven innings before heading back to the White House. The Astros took a 3-2 series lead with a 7-1 victory in Game 5.
A dozen or so congressional lawmakers accompanied the president, according to a list provided by the White House, including Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and David Perdue Georgia.
“I think everybody is excited,” Nationals star pitcher Stephen Strasburg said before the game. “It’s the president of the United States. So there’s obviously beefed-up security. So usually the dogs that are sniffing in our clubhouse are these nice Labs that are super friendly. And today there was a German shepherd that I didn’t really feel comfortable petting.”
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said: “He’s coming to the game. He’s a fan. Hopefully he cheers for the Washington Nationals, and I hope he enjoys the game.”
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he discussed with Trump whether he’d like to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, but the president declined while citing the disruption that would cause fans getting to the ballpark.
Washington Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner told the Washington Post that Trump should be at the game.
“He has every right to come,” Lerner said on Oct. 25. “He’s the president of the United States whether you like him or not. It’s a special event. He should be at it.”
Lawmakers Call for Respect for Sitting President
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) criticized the crowd at the World Series for booing Trump.
“Well, forgive me, I’m enough of a sort of traditionalist about our institutions that even at a time when there is a lot that our president does that I find disturbing, offensive, unconventional, I have a hard time with the idea of a crowd on a globally televised sporting event chanting ‘lock him up’ about our president,” Coons said on Monday during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day.”
“I frankly think the office of the president deserves respect, even when the actions of our president don’t,” Coons added.
Rep. Steven Smith (R-Ga.) also decried the crowd’s treatment of Trump, but had a different take on it.
Smith said on Twitter that the boos and chants were “a badge of honor in a city run by snakes.”
A badge of honor in a city run by snakes. https://t.co/rL2zqXORWH
— Rep. Steven Smith ???????? (@RepStevenSmith) October 28, 2019
The Associated Press and Epoch Times reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
