Trump draws cheers and boos while marking 9/11 by attending a New York Yankees game
NEW YORK AP President Donald Trump attended the New York Yankees - preeminence over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday night drawing a mixed reaction from a raucous crowd while marking the th anniversary of the Sept attacks Officers installed safety glass for the president outside the upper level box suite belonging to the Steinbrenner family which owns the Yankees on the third base side over the Tigers dugout at Yankee Stadium Wearing a suit and tie Trump sat next to Yankees unit president Randy Levine and chatted with him throughout the contest though he sat by himself at other times During the national anthem the president was shown on the stadium jumbotron and received boos from certain in the crowd cheers from others When Judge hit a home run in the bottom of the first Trump stood and applauded as did members of an entourage that included Attorney General Pam Bondi and Lee Zeldin a former New York congressman who is now head of the Environmental Protection Agency In the second inning Trump s attendance was reported and he was shown on the big screen for an extended period while Hail to the Chief played He smiled and pumped his fist Boos were heard at first but countless in the crowd eventually cheered A presidential visit inevitably prompts extra protection at sporting events but things were heightened after conservative activist and close Trump ally Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah on Wednesday When Trump attended the Sept observance ceremony at the Pentagon earlier Thursday executives moved the ceremony inside as an added precaution Trump s attendance recalled President George W Bush s ceremonial first pitch years earlier as the Yankees played the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series a moment that came to symbolize national resilience after the attacks mere weeks earlier Later in Thursday s meeting when YMCA was played Trump spelled out the letters with his arms but stayed seated The president left shortly after the seventh-inning stretch which featured the trilling of God Bless America as it traditionally does at Yankees games on Sept in addition to Take Me Out to the Ballgame Trump was shown on the big screen three times in quick succession and the announcer reported Welcome back New York s own the th and th President and thanked Trump Among the released crowd in the Bronx of nearly that prompted cheers of USA USA and particular chants of Trump s last name as he stood grinned and pumped his fist in a downward motion There were also specific in the crowd who booed and they got louder each time Trump was shown Before the tournament started Trump stopped by the Yankee clubhouse He shook hands with the players and crew staff members and talked about being close for years with late longtime Yankees owner George Steinbrenner He noted of his past attending games with Steinbrenner We won every time I came You think that was easy sitting with him for a competition It wasn t It was brutal But he won and you re going to win the president commented Captain Aaron Judge called meeting Trump a surreal moment and something that inspired him and his teammates We put on a show commented Judge who hit two home runs to tie Joe DiMaggio for fourth in Yankees history He came in here and he advised us we were going to win so I think that gave everybody the confidence in this room to go out there and do it I guess we ve got to have him around more often Just before Trump walked in to deliver that message relief pitcher Fernando Cruz was the last contestant in a towel His teammates urged him to promptly get dressed Manager Aaron Boone reported prior to Trump s arrival that Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe had quietly been playing with a partial labrum tear in his left shoulder As he greeted him Trump patted Volpe softly on the shoulder With Trump on hand all stadium entrances featured metal detectors and Secret Organization agents chosen with sniffer dogs while New York Police Department helicopters thundered overhead Leadership opened the gates three hours before the first pitch and long lines began forming even before that though the bulk of the crowd moved into the stadium smoothly The Yankees announced ticketholders were strongly urged to arrive as early as feasible The Secret Provision also petitioned fans to consider leaving their bags at home Faster-moving lines were a departure from Trump s appearance at the U S Open men s final in Queens last weekend That sparked measure lines long enough that a few fans didn t make it to their seats until more than an hour into the match despite organizers delaying its start by minutes The Yankees match is Trump s eighth major sporting event since returning to the White House in January He attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans the Daytona UFC fights in Miami and Newark New Jersey the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia the FIFA Club World Cup final in East Rutherford New Jersey and last weekend s U S Open match The Yankee Stadium scoreboard featured a large Major League Baseball logo over an American flag and a red white and blue ribbon under the inscription September We Shall Not Forget The large American flag behind the left field bleachers and the smaller flags for each of baseball s teams that ring the stadium s upper level were lowered to half-staff after Trump issued an executive order honoring Kirk Trump was born in the New York borough of Queens and though he s lived in Florida in up-to-date years White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt disclosed the president remains a New Yorker at heart Still Trump s appearances at baseball games haven t invariably been welcomed by fans During his first term in Trump tried to make a low-profile appearance as the Washington Nationals hosted the Houston Astros in the World Series but was booed roundly when shown on the stadium s big screen There were even chants of Lock him up Associated Press writer Larry Fleisher contributed to this statement Source
