WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 10: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at an event honoring the National Hockey League champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the East Room of the White House October 10, 2017 in Washington, DC. The Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators in the 2017 NHL Finals, the fifth time the franchise has won the Stanley Cup. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
On Sunday afternoon, President Donald Trump tweeted that he no longer plans on throwing out the first pitch for the August 15 game between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox citing that he needs to focus on the “China Virus.”
Despite the blatant xenophobia, this may be a reflection of our country’s current state in terms of the rising number of COVID-19 and the MLB’s lack of organization with its restart – 10 more members of the Miami Marlins just tested positive and their home opener has been canceled. It is a bad sign that the person leading the charge of denying the seriousness of the pandemic has decided to back out of an event due to the seriousness of the virus or the fact that the MLB seems especially vulnerable to spreading the virus.
Trump also cited the lack of a crowd as another reason. “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.”
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