Trump: I'm Just Too Busy to Throw a First Pitch

President Trump says he's not throwing out the opening pitch at a New York Yankees game after all, Politico reports. After agreeing to do it Thursday, the president tweeted Sunday about other priorities: "Because of my strong focus on the China Virus, including scheduled meetings on Vaccines, our economy and much else, I won't be able to be in New York to throw out the opening pitch for the @Yankees on August 15th," he wrote. "We will make it later in the season!" His decision comes two days after Anthony Fauci—infectious disease expert and White House "punching bag," per CNN—tossed a first pitch in Washington, DC, that went a little astray.

Not everyone responded positively to the idea of Trump throwing a first pitch in the first place. "We all deserve better than a careless major league baseball organization that consistently ignores the surrounding community while pandering to an unapologetic white supremacist like Donald Trump," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, while NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that "after CONDEMNING racism, the next step isn't inviting it to your pitcher's mound." USA Today recalls that Trump—who has done first-pitch duties before—joked last year about tossing a World Series first pitch if the Secret Service and MLB could "dress me up in a lot of heavy armor. I'll look too heavy." (More President Trump stories.)