The last time the Boston Red Sox visited Donald Trump’s White House was when the club was the reigning World Series champion back in May of 2019.
On Thursday, with a record of just 43-45 entering a weekend series with the Washington Nationals, an entirely different group of Red Sox players were greeted by President Trump in the Oval Office.
‘Why is a team that is 43-45 at the White House?’ a fan asked in response to a White House video showing players shaking hands with Trump at the Resolute desk.
The confusion was understandable. Typically, such White House visits are reserved for champions, and unless the sub-.500 Red Sox are supremely confident in their playoff chances, their presence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. was a bit presumptuous.
But as it turns out, the Red Sox were not prematurely celebrating a tenth World Series title. Instead, ‘the team participated in a tour of the White House as part of their family trip to DC this weekend,’ a club spokeswoman told Daily Mail.
It’s unclear if players’ parents were also on the tour, or who arranged the meet-and-greet opportunity on Thursday as the Red Sox spokeswoman did not respond to those specific questions. Regardless, Trump did get a laugh out of some members of the Red Sox roster.
When Boston’s Justin Wilson introduced himself, Trump joked: ‘I know every one of you’
When Boston reliever Justin Wilson introduced himself, Trump – a Yankees fan with a busy day job – joked: ‘I know every one of you.’
The President would get another chuckle from the crowd after receiving praise from another reliever.
‘Great job,’ Brennan Bernardino told Trump, who acted as if he expected the compliment.
‘I know that,’ the 79-year-old executive said, generating a few more giggles from players.
Beyond the confusion over the players’ visit was the outrage among some left-leaning Boston fans.
‘We found a way to lose on an off day,’ one remarked.
‘Don’t see why [manager Alex] Cora would let them go and see this guy,’ one fan wondered.
Trump is presented with a souvenir Red Sox jersey by Boston’s J.D. Martinez during a ceremony honoring the 2018 World Series Champions at the White House on May 9, 2019
Cora and then-Red Sox star Mookie Betts both skipped Boston’s White House trip in May of 2019 as the team was celebrating its 2018 title.
However, Betts was on hand this April when he and the reigning-champion Los Angeles Dodgers visited Trump in Washington.
‘Mookie Betts, aww is he good,’ Trump said Monday before finding the 5-foot-9 former MVP on stage among his teammates.
Trump went over and shook Betts hand before exchanging a few words and returning to the podium.
‘Mookie,’ Trump continued. ‘That guy can play, can’t he? I mean, unbelievable.’