President Donald Trump played to the crowd at a rally in Marietta, Georgia on Wednesday, July 22, where he was joined by Atlanta Braves CEO Mike Plant and former Braves manager Brian Snitker.
As he was being introduced, the crowd serenaded Trump, 80, with the team’s controversial “tomahawk chop,” a motion and chant which began at Braves games in the 90s, and that many Native American groups have called offensive.
“They say you’re not allowed to do that,” Trump told the crowd. “Do it.”
Trump, an outspoken baseball fan and a fan of New York sports in general, also invoked the New York Mets, Atlanta’s bitter rival.
“So, I like baseball,” Trump said, “but [Plant] has done such a great job. You know, the Mets have the highest salary in baseball, and they lose all the time. And I say, ‘Maybe we can steal this guy.’”
He continued, “You don’t realize how good he is. There are teams like that, where they never go down. Then you have other teams [who say], ‘We’re rebuilding.’ They’ve been rebuilding for years. I don’t want to mention teams cause I know all the owners. They’re all friends of mine. I’ll get myself in trouble. This guy never rebuilds. He just stays at the top. He’s amazing.”
The Mets, who do, in fact, boast the highest payroll in baseball, are just 43-60 on the season, one year after missing out on the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. They last made the World Series in 2015 and last won it in 1986.
The Braves, by comparison, won the 2021 World Series and sit atop the National League East at 60-42. They have the sixth-highest payroll in the 30-team league, according to data from Spotrac.
Snitker, 70, managed that 2021 championship Braves team, and took the microphone to thank the President and acknowledge the crowd’s chants.
“Thank you Mr. President, welcome to Marietta,” he said. “And as you can see, Braves Country is a real thing and you got a room full of Braves Country right here.”
He added that he hoped the Braves would pay him a visit at the White House around this time next year, implying that it would be in celebration of another World Series title.
Plant, 66, then took over and offered his own one-liner to the President and the crowd.
“Mr. President, I just want to say when you’re done throwing four-seam fastballs for the United States of America, come back and do it for the Atlanta Braves,” he joked.
