Former President Donald Trump was seen doing the “Tomahawk Chop” along with the rest of the crowd at game four of the World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves Saturday evening.
Trump attended the game with his wife, Melania Trump, and Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker. Surrounded by Braves fans, the former President and First Lady were recorded doing the “Tomahawk Chop” – a celebration associated with the Atlanta team that has recently been under fire.(RELATED: Fans Hang ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Banner During Game 2 Of The World Series)
President Donald Trump does the Tomahawk Chop while at the World Series in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/CNmZcLYO8x
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) October 31, 2021
The “Tomahawk Chop” has been a source of controversy since the World Series began Monday. During the first game of the series, a Houston Astros fan was seen holding a sign that read “the ‘chop’ is racist” – a direct message to the Braves. After the gesture was branded as offensive to Native Americans, the Braves announced that the team would abandon its rallying cry.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred commented on the Braves’ use of the “Tomahawk Chop” before the start of game one. “The Braves have done a phenomenal job with the Native American community,” Manfred said, according to The Athletic. “It’s important to understand that we have 30 markets around the country. They aren’t all the same … The Native American community in that region is wholly supportive of the Braves program, including ‘The Chop.’ For me, that’s kind of the end of the story. In that market, we’re taking into account the Native American community.” (RELATED: The Braves Beating The Astros In Game Three Of The World Series Gets Bad TV Ratings)
However, the National Congress of American Indians spoke out against the ritual in a tweet.
NCAI reiterates its longstanding opposition to the Atlanta @Braves‘ mascot and “tomahawk chop” fan ritual as the team plays in the @MLB #WorldSeries.
Read NCAI President Fawn Sharp’s full statement: https://t.co/pPWkoziRie#NotYourMascot pic.twitter.com/N3RxEEASLs
— National Congress of American Indians (@NCAI1944) October 27, 2021
Before attending the game Saturday, Trump sent out a mass email to his supporters that read, “Looking forward to being at the World Series in Atlanta tonight. Thank you to the Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred, and Randy Levine of the New York Yankees, for the invite. Melania and I are looking forward to a wonderful evening watching two great teams!” the New York Post reported.
Another baseball term has been under fire this week. PETA, an animal activist group, launched a petition to change the baseball term “bullpen” to “arm barn.” According to the group, “bullpen” refers to the area where bulls are held before they are slaughtered.
“Bullpen” refers to the area of a “bull’s pen” where bulls are held before they are slaughtered—it’s a word with speciesist roots & we can do better than that.
Switching to “arm barn” would be a home run for baseball fans, players, and animals 💪⚾️ pic.twitter.com/2FzSpDG9mQ
— Arm Barn (@peta) October 28, 2021
“Switching to ‘arm barn’ would be a home run for baseball fans, players, and animals,” the group added.