Nats owner says Trump has ‘every right’ to come to World Series game Sunday

Washington Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner said President Trump has “every right” to attend Sunday’s World Series game in D.C. to watch his team face off against the Houston Astros. 

“Well, he has every right to come,” Lerner said in an interview with The Washington Post on Friday. “He’s the president of the United States whether you like him or not. It’s a special event. He should be at it.” 

{mosads}The president will not throw out the first pitch of Sunday’s game, with the Nationals instead tapping chef, philanthropist and vocal Trump critic José Andrés for the honor.

“The first pitches are our call, and we felt there are many other candidates that should be considered before [Trump],” Lerner said. “We wanted to have the right people. I think we got a nice mix of people.” 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league spoke with Trump about throwing out a first pitch but that Trump declined, citing concerns about causing delays for fans entering the stadium.

“We actually had a conversation with him about first pitches,” Manfred told the Post. “His view was that in order to make the fan experience as positive as possible, he would arrive at Game 5 sometime after the game began so it wouldn’t interfere with fans getting into the stadium. Quite frankly, we were very grateful for that.” 

Trump’s appearance at the World Series would mark his first appearance at a Nationals game since he moved into the White House in January 2017.