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Sunday night was game 5 of the 2019 World Series, and President Trump’s attendance was met with boos and “lock him up” chants. But there was much more to this story too.
The family owners of the Nats were also really concerned that President Trump would request to be seated with the 94-year-old patriarch of the family, Theodore Lerner. It has been a long-standing tradition for presidents to attend the World Series dating back to Woodrow Wilson in 1915.
So a representative for the Lerner family put in a special request with the MLB. They asked to be spared the awkwardness of turning down an invitation to sit with the President. No direct request was issued according to WUSA9.
The Lerners not wanting to share a box with the President, and booing from the crowd was bad enough, but there was actually a third slight that likely gave Trump a bit of a sting too.
He wasn’t asked to throw out the first pitch. Instead, the honor was given to José Andres.
I’m humbled by the invitation, and I realize is a big big big honor but I really hope that by Saturday night all of WASHINGTON will be celebrating that the @Nationals are the 2019 @MLB World Series Champions…🙏😘😘👨🍳⚾️🏆 https://t.co/V6EvP9L7Lr
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) October 25, 2019
Andrés and Trump have been at odds since 2015 when Trump made his infamous remarks about immigrants from Mexico, calling them mostly rapists and drug dealers.
When he heard those remarks, Chef Andrés had cancelled the upscale eatery he was planning to put into Trump’s D.C. property, pulling out of the contract. This lead to several lawsuits and the pair eventually settled out of court.
Andrés also added a little more salt to the wound when he invited the Philadelphia Eagles to his restaurant in celebration of their Super Bowl win—after Trump disinvited them to the White House.
Perhaps President Trump may be wishing he just stayed at home.