Donald Trump put on a defiant display Thursday night as he met with New York Yankees players and watched them take on the Detroit Tigers just 24 hours after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The president showed no sign of hiding away after the latest act of political violence in America as he flew from Washington to The Bronx to mark the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Footage from inside the locker room showed a relaxed Trump laughing and joking with Yankees players before he addressed them and claimed he’s never seen the team lose in person.
Trump’s resolute display comes after an emotional 24 hours for the president after he was the one who announced the death of conservative commentator Kirk, 31.
He took his seat in the stands around 7pm and received a mixed reception from fans with some cheers and boos when he appeared on screen during the national anthem.
Trump’s seat for the game has been protected by a number of reinforced glass panels to keep him safe. Snipers were also pictured overlooking the field.
Donald Trump has arrived at Yankee Stadium and was filmed meeting with the players
The president was filmed addressing the locker room before shanking hands with players
Trump then take
Images from Yankee Stadium earlier on Thursday afternoon showed a row of three glass panels lined up next to each other in the stand to keep Trump safe.
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Federal Housing FHFA Bill Pulte were both spotted traveling with Trump to Yankee Stadium.
Trump’s outing also comes in the same week that a suspect has gone on trial for trying to assassinate him while he played golf in South Florida last year.
Just nine weeks before, Trump survived another attempt on his life while campaigning in Pennsylvania. That gunman had fired eight shots, with one bullet grazing Trump’s ear, before being shot by a Secret Service counter sniper.
Asked if he was worried for his own safety on the White House lawn before leaving for Yankee Stadium, Trump said: ‘Not really. I’m really concerned for our country.
‘We have a great country. We have a radical left group of lunatics out there, just absolute lunatics and we’re gonna get that problem solved. I’m only concerned for the country.’
The Yankees also warned fans to get to the stadium early because of the extra security protocols being put in place for the president’s visit.
Fans were seen lining up in long security queues late afternoon on Thursday as they arrived for an emotional evening. There were also snipers pictured watching over the field.
Hours before the scheduled first pitch at 7:05pm local time, Trump’s secret service confirmed the increased security plans for Yankee Stadium.
‘President Trump receives the highest levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and the agency adjusts our protective posture as needed to mitigate evolving threats,’ the agency said in a statement shared with The Wall Street Journal.
‘Individuals in and around Yankees stadium tonight can expect to see increased law enforcement presence. Out of concern for operational security, we cannot discuss the specific means and methods used for our protective operations.’
In the locker room, Trump spoke about his long friendship with the late Yankees owner George Michael Steinbrenner and his adoration for the whole family.
‘And I will say you’re going to win. George used to go – for some reason – I don’t know what it was, we won every time I came,’ Trump said. ‘Do you think was easy sitting with him for a game? It wasn’t, it was brutal,’ the president said to laughs.
‘You were exhausted at the end,’ he said.
Trump predicted the same kind of luck for the Yankees tonight – and for the remainder of the season.
‘And you’re going to win,’ he said. ‘You’re going to go all the way. And you’re going to get into the playoffs – and I think we’ll start off – how about tonight? We’ll start from tonight and you’re going to do well.’
The president recalled how Yankees’ rivals, the Boston Red Sox, came to the White House in 2019.
‘The Boston Red Sox came to the Oval Office, they wanted to come, so what am I going to say, no? And they won 15 games in a row,’ Trump recalled.
Yankees President Randy Levine called that ‘bad news.’
‘We’re changing the lock here right now, Mr. President,’ Levine joked.
The president then introduced himself to the players.
Bessent and Pulte’s attendance comes after the duo engaged in a highly publicized spat at the exclusive Georgetown club ‘Executive Branch’ last Wednesday, Politico first reported.
‘Why the f**k are you talking to the president about me? F**k you,’ Bessent told Pulte during a cocktail hour. ‘I’m gonna punch you in your f**king face.’
Kirk was shot to death with a single bullet on Wednesday at UVA. The killer remains at large, although authorities have released images of a suspect.
The Yankees have positioned a number of glass panels in front of where Donald Trump will sit
Trump will attend the game against the Tigers to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks
There were also snipers pictured watching over the field at Yankee Stadium for the game
On Sunday, Trump’s appearance at the men’s final of the U.S. Open led to a half-hour delay for the match and massive security lines for annoyed tennis fans in Queens.
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.’
Of course those delays took place before the sniper attack on Kirk, whose death has now prompted increased security measures by the Secret Service.
Trump was invited to attend Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Jannik Sinner by Swiss watchmaker and tournament sponsor, Rolex, prompting the United States Tennis Association to ask media partners to censor all responses to the President.
Trump ultimately arrived long before most spectators due to the aforementioned security delays, but still got a mixture of boos and cheers in his native Queens.
As for Thursday’s game in the Bronx, the Yankees’ cable network, YES, stated that it has no such instructions.
Fans were seen paying tribute to Charlie Kirk by wearing T-shirts emblazoned with his name
Fans were seen lining up in long security queues late afternoon on Thursday as they arrived
The Yankees held a minute’s silence to honor Charlie Kirk after his assassination Wednesday
‘The YES Network has not been instructed to censor any reactions,’ read a network statement to Daily Mail.
Potential dangers at major sporting events include nerve agents and chemical weapons, as one US Open insider recently told Daily Mail before Sunday’s final.
‘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.
Kirk’s death was on the minds of fans at Yankee Stadium, where the conservative activist was honored with a moment of silence on Wednesday. Other sports figures like Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and ex-race car drive Danica Patrick have also shared their grief with followers over the murder.
