President Donald Trump made a hard push with Atlanta Braves fans while stumping for Republican congressman Mike Collins’ campaign for US Senate on Wednesday.
Not only did he invite former Braves manager Brian Snitker on stage at a Cobb County high school, but the 80-year-old Trump also snuck in a dig at the rival New York Mets and their league-high $328 million payroll: ‘The Mets have the highest salary in baseball, and they lose all the time.’
But it was Trump’s performance of the Braves’ controversial tomahawk chop that may have gotten the biggest reaction.
‘They say you’re not allowed to do that,’ Trump told the chanting crowd. ‘Do it.’
Trump was stretching the truth, of course. Braves fans continue to do the chop at Truist Park, where the team stills sells foam tomahawks despite the controversy.
Snitker laughed and clapped in response to the chants that Native American groups have condemned as ‘racist,’ ‘harmful’ and just plain ‘hokey.’
Trump encourages the audience to continue doing the controversial tomahawk chop
Trump gives the tomahawk chop next to Braves executive Mike Plant, center, and Brian Snitker
Georgia was one of the settings for the infamous Trail of Tears, which was the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of about 60,000 Native Americans between 1830 and 1850. But Trump has never shied away from the chop controversy in Atlanta, where he famously performed the ritual alongside First Lady Melania five years ago.
But unlike 2021, when Trump’s chop was widely celebrated on the right, the President didn’t seem to get as much mileage out of it on Wednesday.
Many still embraced his antics, including one Trump supporter who wrote on X: ‘This is what I voted for.’
But while many Trump loyalists like Fox News sports pundit Clay Travis posted glowing tributes, responses to the chant were largely negative.
‘I don’t care whether it’s non-woke or whatever, it’s just the most annoying and grating chant in sports,’ one fan wrote on X in response to Travis.
‘Imagine actually doing something because you believe it, instead of doing it to just annoy people,’ another added.
Many critics referenced surging gas prices and the ongoing war with Iran that Trump claimed to have won four months earlier.
‘When’s he going to put a tomahawk chop to gas prices?’ asked sportswriter Robert Lusetich.
Another critic added: ‘This will help lower the cost of living.’
Trump brought First Lady Melania to Atlanta in 2021 so they could both perform the chop
Although it’s not as prevalent as it once was, Braves fans still do the tomahawk chop. Also, the club continues to sell foam tomahawks despite criticism from Native American groups
The chants aside, Braves fans appeared to be more concerned about the dreaded Trump curse.
The President recently intervened on behalf of the US men’s soccer team over Folarin Balogun’s controversial red card, and famously jumped on the bandwagons of several professional sports teams only to see them lose their following game. As a result, many Braves supporters were concerned about any Presidential hangover in Atlanta.
‘The Braves players had better burn some sage in the dugout tonight to try and ward off the Trump curse,’ one fan said of his first-place team. ‘This isn’t a joke. I’m very serious.’
‘Thank you Trump for cursing the Braves,’ one delighted Philadelphia fan added. ‘Now my Phillies will overtake them.’
One gambler offered some advice on the subject: ‘If you can still get action on win totals, empty the clip on the Braves under.’
