Trump to Attend World Series, But First Pitch to Be Thrown By Vocal Trump-Critic Chef Jose Andres
President Donald Trump will attend Sunday night’s World Series game (if there is one) but he will not be afforded the ceremonial first pitch. Instead, that honor will go to celebrity chef and vocal Trump-critic Jose Andres.
CNN White House Correspondent Jeremy Diamond Tweeted about the Washington Nationals press release below:
Confirmed by @Nationals: Trump not scheduled to throw out the first pitch if there’s a Game 5 of the World Series. Instead, he’ll watch @chefjoseandres — a critic who pulled out of Trump’s DC hotel — throw the ceremonial pitch
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) October 25, 2019
From the press release: “If a Game 5 is necessary, the Nationals will welcome chef and humanitarian José Andrés to throw a ceremonial first pitch. Named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” in both 2012 and 2018, Andrés is an internationally-recognized…
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) October 25, 2019
…culinary innovator and founder of World Central Kitchen. In January 2019 Andrés opened a World Central Kitchen on Pennsylvania Ave, Washington D.C. to feed federal workers who were furloughed during the government shutdown.” (h/t my @cnnsport colleagues)
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) October 25, 2019
Andres and Trump have been battling for years, and not just rhetorically. Their conflict even spilled into a lawsuit that was eventually settled. Eater summed up the animus between the two:
Two influential men have been locked in a battle of words and wills for the better part of two years: Washington, D.C.-based chef, all-around superhero, and Eater Icon of the Year José Andrés and President Donald Trump may have put their legal conflict behind them earlier this year, but the men continue to clash publicly.
The feud between the chef and the politician first erupted back in mid-2015, shortly after Trump announced he was running for president. After he made disparaging remarks about immigrants on the campaign trail, infamously referring to them as “rapists” and “murderers,” Andrés announced he was abandoning plans to open a restaurant inside the Trump International Hotel in D.C., leading to a series of back-and-forth lawsuits.
When Trump and Andrés’s teams reached a settlement in April 2017, Andrés responded on Twitter, writing: “Happy to put this chapter behind us, a win-win for both sides and now time to focus on the issues that matter.”
Andres has become something of a humanitarian legend of late, as he has used his fame and food preparation expertise to provide real aid to areas recovering from natural disasters such as 2018 hurricanes in Puerto Rico.
He has often taken to Twitter to express his animus towards President Trump. To wit:
You are full of shit, Sir! Nothing wrong with the country. Only thing wrong is you and your lies! To your voters, and to all…
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) August 12, 2017
Ok! I finish my deposition! Hey! mine was longer than his .@realDonaldTrump
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) January 6, 2017
@IvankaTrump can you please talk to @realDonaldTrump about passing immigration reform,and in the meantime not deporting people like her?tks
— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) April 19, 2017
The Washington Nationals hold a two-game lead over the Hoston Astros in the 2019 World Series and are hosting their three-game leg of the best of seven series starting Friday night. If the Astros can win either game three or four, Sunday’s fifth game will certainly have a much higher level of security to protect President Trump, as is common when the Commander in Chief attends a sporting event.
Watch Trump discussing his plans to attend game five above, via MSNBC.
