President Trump backtracked on his plan to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium to focus on coronavirus containment.
In a tweet Sunday afternoon, the president announced he canceled his scheduled appearance to throw the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on August 15, promising supporters he would do it later in the MLB season when the virus subsides.
“Because of my strong focus on the China Virus, including scheduled meetings on Vaccines, our economy and much else, I won’t be able to be in New York to throw out the opening pitch for the @Yankees on August 15th,” he tweeted. “We will make it later in the season!
Because of my strong focus on the China Virus, including scheduled meetings on Vaccines, our economy and much else, I won’t be able to be in New York to throw out the opening pitch for the @Yankees on August 15th. We will make it later in the season!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2020
On Thursday, Trump told reporters that New York Yankees President Randy Levine invited him to throw the honorary first pitch next month.
“I think I’m doing that on Aug. 15 at Yankee Stadium,” he said. “And I say, ‘How’s the crowd going to be?’ And, you know, it’s like you don’t have a crowd.”
Trump also said that sporting events resuming helps the country recuperate psychologically from coronavirus lockdowns as strict social distancing protocols have mandated that people stay inside their homes when possible.
“The key is to get back to normal because nobody wants to see this, but I think it’s really good that baseball is opening,” he said. “It looks like football is opening. … It’s a tremendous thing psychologically for our country.”
