Yankees News: Donald Trump & Kim Jong-un to Bond Over Watching Aaron Judge and Co., Can Home Run Diplomacy Ease Tensions?

Can the New York Yankees game smooth over the U.S. relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un? Former President Trump gave this light-hearted suggestion over the weekend. During a recent rally, former President Donald Trump surprised attendees with the revelation of an invite to a New York Yankees game related to his political negotiations with Kim Jong Un. It was perhaps a part of his effort to improve his relationship with Kim, which some interpret as a good move.

Donald Trump is a known fan of the Yankees, largely because of his close friendship with George Steinbrenner, the late iconic owner of the Yankees. Steinbrenner would invite Trump into his owner’s suite to watch many of the games, and that cemented his allegiance to the team. This background offers a more fitting explanation as to why he would extend that offer to Kim Jong Un.

Trump’s baseball love sees him inviting Kim Jong Un to a Yankees game

It seems like Donald Trump got along well with Kim Jong Un before speaking at the Michigan rally. During this exchange, Trump shared how he remembered asking Kim, “It’s a good thing to get along not a bad thing. I used to tell him, Why don’t you do something else,  just relax, Let’s go to a baseball game. I’ll show you what a baseball [game is]. We’ll go watch the Yankees, or we’ll come watch Michigan at its home opener’.’

Perhaps Trump was trying to use a casual activity, like watching a baseball game, to lighten the air over the tension of negotiating important political matters with North Korea. Suggesting that Kim Jong Un “do something else” and “just relax” might also signify that Trump wants Kim Jong to enjoy and understand the favorite pastime of America. However, as for the Yankees, at present, it has been a rough couple of weeks. New York has lost 19 of its last 28, including a 9-1 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

On the positive side, Donald Trump’s fascination with Major League Baseball has put the Yankees in the headlines. Trump is well-acquainted with the sport, often attending games. He has always been quite fond of the Yankees and Mets. And this deep affection for the Yankees is largely due to his long-standing friendship with the team’s late owner, George Steinbrenner.

Trump’s connection with baseball and the Yankees

Donald Trump is not new to Major League Baseball games, as he often watches a myriad of Yankees and Mets games. His affinity for the Yankees runs even deeper, buoyed by his highly close and long-time friendship with George Steinbrenner, the late owner of the Yankees, known simply as ‘The Boss’. That relationship went deeper than being just a fan; it is known that they were best friends. Steinbrenner regularly invited Trump into his suite to observe the action on the field, further binding Trump to the team.“He and George were very good friends,” said Randy Levine, who was president of the Yankees for two decades,

Moreover, Levine found himself under consideration to be Trump’s chief of staff last year. In the decade before he ran for president, Trump was a common face at Yankee Stadium, often sitting with the likes of Bill O’Reilly and Rudy Giuliani. This underscores not only Trump’s personal tastes but also how he used those connections in his political life. Under George Steinbrenner’s near four-decade management, the Yankees went on to capture seven World Series championships. Famous Yankees players, like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Hideki Matsui, have even bought apartments in Donald Trump buildings, which epitomizes the junction of Trump’s real estate business with his fandom for baseball.

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