Trump backs out of throwing first pitch at Yankees game

President Trump announced Sunday he wouldn’t be throwing out the opening pitch for the New York Yankees next month as he had planned, citing meetings and other work related to the U.S.’s COVID-19 outbreak.

In a tweet, Trump said he would plan to throw out the first pitch at a game later in the MLB season, which began last week.

“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!” he tweeted.

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

Trump had announced plans to attend the Aug. 15 game between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, their historic rivals, last week during a White House coronavirus briefing.

“I think I’m doing that on Aug. 15 at Yankee Stadium,” he told reporters on Thursday. “And I say, ‘How’s the crowd going to be?’ And, you know, it’s like you don’t have a crowd.”

His visit to Yankee Stadium will be the president’s first trip to a baseball stadium since he was loudly booed while attending a World Series game at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., last year. Unlike other presidents, Trump has yet to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game.

MLB resumed its 2020 season last week without fans in attendance and with several players opting out of the season entirely due to concerns about the virus. All games have so far featured piped-in ambient crowd noise over stadium speakers to simulate normality both for viewers and players.