Elliot C. Williams
Coming off a World Series win, the Washington Nationals have been having a smashing time at spring training in West Palm Beach, far away from the troubles of Washington. But, over the weekend, Washington came to them.
A group of Nats players spent Sunday golfing with President Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, as evidenced by an Instagram post from starting pitcher Patrick Corbin. Seen in the photos: Trump giving a thumbs up, Trump signing a “Make America Great Again” hat for Corbin, and his teammates, including Ryan Zimmerman, Trea Turner, Daniel Hudson, Kurt Suzuki, and former Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth, posing with the president.
After a round (no word on how the round went, as the Trump administration bars the media from attending his golf outings), Corbin posted the gallery with the caption: “So this happened today … got to golf with the President!” Besides Corbin, the other players on the golf outing stayed silent on social media. The Washington Post first reported the trip.
This isn’t the first time the championship team has received a warm welcome from the president. The Nationals visited the White House in November after winning the World Series and created a scene on the South Portico involving Trump embracing players, some weird speeches, and jersey swapping. “I love you all,” Suzuki told the crowd, and Zimmerman thanked Trump for “continuing to make America the greatest country in the world.”
The entire team wasn’t in attendance that day, though. Nats relief pitcher Sean Doolittle was among the players who skipped the visit, telling the Post that he declined Trump’s invitation due to his divisive language about refugees and people of color.
Some politicians and media pundits slammed Trump’s most recent mingling with the Nationals, as the number of COVID-19 cases—the illness caused by the new coronavirus—in the U.S. surpassed 420 (including positive tests in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia), and the death toll reached 19, according to the CDC. Trump has downplayed the seriousness of the outbreak, telling reporters who asked about the possibility of the virus affecting his own routine, “I’m not concerned at all.”
Major League Baseball, like other professional sports leagues, has created a response team to tackle new policies related to the new coronavirus, and has been in regular contact with the CDC to monitor the outbreak. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said on a conference call with all 30 team owners on Monday that the league still plans to start as scheduled, on March 26, though some players are changing up their routines to avoid excessive contact with fans, per The Athletic.
The MLB issued a statement saying, “We are undertaking many precautions currently. For example, we are asking anyone—including media—who has visited a high-risk area, as defined by the CDC, within the last 14 days not to visit our facilities.”
