President Trump stayed mostly on topic during the Washington Nationals visit to the White House Monday afternoon, keeping his comments mostly baseball related, and only brining up the impeachment hearing against him once.
As he did when the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues came to the White House, Trump only strayed from what looked like prepared remarks to call individual players to the mic to say a few words. After mentioning Kurt Suzuki’s three-run homer during the Nationals epic, regular season, bottom of the 9th come back against the New York Mets, Trump invited the Nationals catcher to speak to the crowd.
Suzuki demurred briefly before donning a MAGA hat and stepping up to the mic. Before he could speak, Trump enveloped him in a very personal, very awkward embrace.
As you can see from the photo, Trump came up behind Suzuki and wrapped his arms around Suzuki’s chest. It’s odd. Hands don’t go that high when you’re hugging someone, even from behind. But, it’s clear from the look on his face that Suzuki didn’t mind.
Other Nationals players also stepped up to the microphone, including Ryan Zimmerman, who handed Trump a custom jersey and was effusive in his thanks and praise for the president.
“We’d also like to thank you for keeping everyone here safe in our country, and continuing to make America the greatest country to live in the world,” he said.
While the majority of the Nationals visited the White House, several players were absent from the official White House attendance list for the event, including Nationals closer Sean Doolittle and fan favorite Anthony Rendon.
