Donald Trump and his wife Melania attended Game 4 of the World Series between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros and were seen doing the “Tomahawk Chop” with Braves fans. They were joined by former Georgia Bulldogs star Herschel Walker who Trump encouraged to move back to the state and run for US Senate. In a mass email, Trump released a statement to his supporters about his World Series attendance.
“Looking forward to being at the World Series in Atlanta tonight,” Trump said, per the New York Post. “Thank you to the Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred, and Randy Levine of the New York Yankees, for the invite. Melania and I are looking forward to a wonderful evening watching two great teams!”
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MLB responded to Trump’s statement, saying “He requested to attend the game.” Days before the game, Braves CEO Terry McGuirk said Trump reached out to the team for Tickets. The Braves granted Trump’s request as it was the team’s first home World Series game since 1999.
“He called MLB and wanted to come to the game,” McGuirk reportedly said to USA Today Sports. “We were very surprised. Of course, we said yes.” “We are apolitical. We’re open to anyone coming. It’s great that he wants to come to our game.” The Braves won Game 4 and Game 5 of the series before losing in Game 6 on Sunday. They lead the Astros 3-2 and need one more win to become champions.
Trump doing the “Tomahawk Chop” with Braves fans comes at a time when the chant is a hot topic. There were a number of columnists who called out Braves for the “chop” as it’s deemed racist. ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan wrote a column about how the Braves should do away with the chop.
“The most frustrating thing about the chop is how easy it would be to stop,” Passan wrote. “It would be a small gesture. It wouldn’t fix any of those generational problems that affect American Indians. But it would, to plenty, return at least a modicum of dignity to a people that have already had so much taken from them.” The “Tomahawk Chop” started in 1991 when the Braves reached the World Series for the first time since moving from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966.
