YES Network has insisted they will not censor any potential protests against Donald Trump when he goes to watch the New York Yankees play on Thursday night.
It was revealed last week that Trump will mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks with a trip to Yankee Stadium – after first attending a memorial event at the Pentagon in northern Virginia.
It will serve as the latest high-profile sporting event that the President has attended in recent months – having recently made headlines at the US Open men’s final.
Trump’s arrival caused a huge delay to proceedings on the day, however, the major talking point was related to broadcast instructions.
Daily Mail revealed that broadcasters were ordered to censor any protests or reactions to Trump from the crowd, as he made his first US Open visit since 2015.
Now, the Daily Mail can reveal that YES Network – who broadcasts Yankees games – have not been told to censor any Trump protests during the game against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
Broadcasters were told to censor reactions to Trump’s arrival at the US Open on Sunday
However, that is not the case for broadcasters ahead of his visit to the Yankees on Thursday
In a statement sent to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson said: ‘The YES Network has not been instructed to censor any reactions’.
Last week, on the eve of the final, the United States Tennis Association sent out an email to broadcasters, such as ESPN and Sky Sports, which asked them to ‘refrain’ from showing reactions to the President’s attendance.
It read: ‘With respect to Broadcast Coverage, the President will be shown on the World Feed and the Ashe Court Feed during the opening anthem ceremony.
‘We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity.’
Trump had not been invited to the match at 2pm by the tournament itself but as the guest of Rolex, the Swiss luxury watch brand and major sponsor.
Roughly 40 minutes before the start of Sunday’s final, Trump emerged from his private suite at Arthur Ashe, where he was a guest of Swiss luxury watch brand and major sponsor Rolex, to a mixture of cheers and boos from fans in attendance.
The 79-year-old was joined by a large entourage, which included Attorney General Pam Bondi, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, granddaughter Arabella Kushner and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Meanwhile, chaos occurred outside the arena as thousands of fans lined up to enter just minutes before the rearranged start time amid intense security procedures, meaning Sinner and Alcaraz began Sunday’s final in front of several empty seats.
YES Network have informed the Daily Mail that they have not been told to censor reactions
Trump was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos when he arrived at the US Open final
Organizers would later apologize on Sunday night to fans impacted by the delays, saying: ‘We understand the frustration of fans that were delayed in their entrance to Arthur Ashe Stadium.
‘The added security protocols were put in place by the United States Secret Service. We took several steps to make this process as seamless as possible and educate our attendees on the potential delays in advance of their arrival.
Daily Mail reporter Matthew Lambwell, who was also on the ground in Queens, said about the frantic scenes before the match got underway: ‘This is total chaos here. Lines are absolutely insane. They will either have to delay again or start with hardly anyone in.’
A US Open insider also told the Daily Mail ahead of Mr Trump’s appearance that nerve agents and chemical weapons were among potential threats at Flushing Meadows.
‘We’ve been scoping out the area with our colleagues in the CIA and taking precautions in the event of an attack using chemical weapons or nerve agents,’ the source said.
