President Donald Trump has backed out of throwing the first pitch for the New York Yankees on Aug. 15, saying he will do it at another time.
"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," Trump tweeted Sunday afternoon.
"We will make it later in the season!"
Trump on Thursday said Yankees president Randy Levine had asked him to throw the first pitch when the team takes on rival Boston Red Sox.
He also said he hoped that players would stand during the anthem.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. ripped the Yankees for inviting Trump.
"By inviting President Trump to throw out the first pitch, they are blatantly demonstrating that their pronouncements are cynical and devoid of genuine meaning," Diaz said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed Diaz's sentiments, tweeting, "After CONDEMNING racism, the next step isn't inviting it to your pitcher's mound. To the players that knelt for the BLM movement, we applaud you. To the execs that have aligned with hatred, you are on the wrong side of history and morality."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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