Trump competes in ‘Tomahawk chop’ at World Series match
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The chop, a stadium-wide chant and a long-standing tradition at Braves games, has come under scrutiny in a nationwide discussion of racism and racial imagery in professional sports.
Several advocacy groups and observers accused the song of making fun of Native American groups and called it racist. But many Braves fans, including Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, dismissed the criticism, and the stadium led fans to sing in Matches 3 and 4 of the series.
Trump has often sought to politically capitalize on such controversies as part of an effort to galvanize white voters who make up much of his political base.
Former NFL star Herschel Walker, who is running for a seat in the US Senate in Georgia, is accompanying former President and First Lady Melania Trump. The former president’s support for Walker, which initially came from the reserves of much of the GOP establishment, has given the former running back a boost ahead of next year’s primary. Republicans hope to topple incumbent Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock in the general election.
In a statement earlier on Saturday, the former president said he “can’t wait to be at the World Series in Atlanta,” adding that he and Melania “were looking forward to a wonderful night watching two great teams!”
He thanked MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and New York Yankees President Randy Levine for the invitation.
“He called MLB and wanted to come to the game,” McGuirk told the newspaper. “We were very surprised. Of course we said yes.”
His 2020 presidential campaign also made a seven-figure advertising buy in the final match of the 2019 World Series.
Since leaving office, Trump has attended a UFC fight card in July and commented on a boxing match on September 11.
CNN’s Karl de Vries, Mike Warren and Jill Martin contributed to this report.
Breaking News Updates Usa News Trump competes in ‘Tomahawk chop’ at World Series match