President Trump gave a speech inside the Yankees’ clubhouse, then took his seat behind protective glass at Thursday night’s game in the Bronx, amid an overwhelming security presence on the 24th anniversary of 9/11.
Trump heard cheers and boos as he appeared during the national anthem on the jumbotron, which showed him saluting from his suite along the third-base line. He was seated next to Yankees president Randy Levine and owner Hal Steinbrenner.
The video board showed Trump again in the middle of the second inning, where he soaked in longer screen time.
Chants of “U-S-A” also filled the stadium during a pregame ceremony honoring victims and heroes of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Those scenes unfolded shortly after Trump visited the clubhouse and described late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner as “a great friend of mine.”
“You’re gonna win,” Trump told the team. “You’re gonna go all the way. You’ll get in the playoff, and I think we’ll start it off. How about tonight?”
Trump also shook hands with Aaron Judge, whom he called a “fantastic” and “unbelievable player.”
“I appreciate that,” Judge said.
Trump is the first sitting president to attend a game at Yankee Stadium since Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, when George Bush, wearing a bullet-proof vest, famously threw the ceremonial first pitch weeks after the tragedy.
The White House had confirmed earlier this week that Trump planned to attend, and the Yankees responded by preparing fans for enhanced security measures.
Those included an enormous presence of Secret Service agents all around the stadium, along with metal detectors and TSA officers outside of the entrances.
Some gates employed K-9 dogs, including one outside of the media entrance who sniffed bags more than four hours before the game as an NYPD helicopter flew overhead.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the game that he was “excited” for Trump to attend.
“I’ve had the honor and fortune of [seeing] some presidents over the years, first pitches or whatever it may be, so the fact that he’s going to be here is something that I’m excited to be a part of,” Boone said. “To see and get to — I don’t know what it’ll be like — but to interact for a few minutes, it’s just something I’m looking forward to.”
Yankee Stadium opened its gates at 4 p.m., more than three hours before the scheduled 7:05 p.m. first pitch. Typically, Yankee Stadium opens its gates 90 minutes before the scheduled start time.
Thursday’s game took place five days after Trump attended the men’s final at the U.S. Open in Queens. That event started a half an hour later than scheduled due to additional security measures, with many fans enduring long lines and extensive wait times to get into Arthur Ashe Stadium that day as a result of the extra precautions.
Before Trump and the fans arrived on Thursday, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Boone brought a wreath to Monument Park and placed it next to the Yankees’ 9/11 memorial.
“It’s always a sobering day, a day of reflection,” Boone said. “But also a day, as a sport, where there’s some pride in the role our sport played in that time.”
