US president Donald Trump’s appearance at game five of baseball’s World Series drew loud boos and jeers when he was introduced to the crowd in Washington DC.
Mr Trump arrived at Nationals Park just before the first pitch of the Houston Astros-Washington Nationals match.
The low-profile appearance came at a high-profile moment of his presidency. Hours earlier, Mr Trump had announced US forces had assaulted the hiding place of the leader of so-called Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was killed in the raid in north-east Syria.
Full on “LOCK HIM UP! LOCK HIM UP!” chants heard throughout the crowd at Nats Park after President Trump was announced and shown on screen here #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/1ktVXkHYFy
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) October 28, 2019
Boos heard throughout Nationals Park as President Trump and the First Lady are announced and shown on screen after the “wave your caps” moment between innings pic.twitter.com/RSZlbMA2W7
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) October 28, 2019
A military success against an enemy of the US and its allies could have provided the president with a rare moment of bipartisan praise, especially as he faces an impeachment inquiry.
Mr Trump and first lady Melania Trump entered a lower-tier box to the left of home plate as the game got under way.
At that point his presence had not been formally announced, but baseball fans in the section just below Mr Trump’s suite turned to look toward the box as he arrived. Some waved at the president as he smiled and gave a thumbs-up.
At the end of the third innings, video screens carried a salute to US service members that drew cheers throughout the stadium. When the video cut to Mr Trump and his entourage and the loudspeakers announced the couple, cheers abruptly turned into a torrent of boos and heckling.
Chants of “Lock him up” broke out in some sections.
Mr Trump appeared unfazed and continued waving. Later, some fans behind the home plate held a sign reading “VETERANS FOR IMPEACHMENT”. Another banner appeared during the game: “IMPEACH TRUMP!”
The president was on hand for seven innings before heading back to the White House. The Astros took a 3-2 series lead with a 7-1 victory in the match.
The best-of-seven World Series decides the championship in Major League Baseball.
Until Sunday night, Mr Trump had yet to attend a major league game as president even though the White House is a few miles north-west of Nationals Park.
Mr Trump’s staff have long tried to shield him from events where he might be loudly booed or heckled, and he has rarely ventured into the neighbourhoods of the heavily Democratic city.
He won just over 4 per cent of the vote in the District of Columbia in 2016.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said he discussed with Mr Trump whether he would like to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, but the president declined while citing the disruption that would cause fans getting to the ballpark. – PA