Trump reportedly scheduled his own Yankees 1st pitch because he was jealous of Fauci

(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

published 28 July 2020

President Trump apparently wanted his own chance to completely botch a first pitch in front of a national audience.

Shortly before Fauci went wide left at the Nationals-Yankees season opener last week, Trump announced he'd throw out the first pitch at another Yankees game on August 15. But he canceled that appearance with a Sunday tweet, scheduling and unscheduling the pitch without anyone else's consultation, The New York Times reports.

Trump has had a longstanding offer from New York Yankees president Randy Levine to throw a first pitch at a game. But he hadn't actually asked Yankees officials about coming on August 15, nor had he informed his staff about it, a person familiar with Trump's schedule told the Times. Trump was simply "so annoyed by Dr. Fauci's turn in the limelight" that he'd instructed his aides to arrange a pitch of his own, the Times writes. "No date was ever finalized," the Times continues.

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It's just the latest example of the behind-the-scenes "tense relationship" Trump, "a president who hates sharing media attention," has inflicted on Fauci, the Times says. Trump even played catch with retired Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera at the White House last week. Despite his public practice, Trump tweeted that he'd have to pull out of the pitch "because of my strong focus on the China Virus," again using a racist reference to the coronavirus and again making a decision reportedly without anyone's consultation.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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