Former President Trump participated in the tomahawk chop celebration with Atlanta Braves fans during Game 4 of the World Series between the Braves and Houston Astros.
Trump was seen in a suite at Truist Park alongside former first lady Melania Trump. The tomahawk chop has sparked controversy as the World Series returned to Atlanta, with many viewing the gesture as offensive to Native Americans.
Here’s how social media responded:
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the gesture, noting that the Braves had backing from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, based in North Carolina.
“The Native American community in that region fully supports the Braves program, including the chop. For me, that settles the matter. In that market, we are considering the Native American community,” Manfred stated on Tuesday.
The National Congress of American Indians criticized Manfred’s statement, stating that he missed the mark.
“In our conversations with the Atlanta Braves, we have repeatedly and unequivocally asserted our position: Native people are not mascots, and degrading rituals like the ‘tomahawk chop’ that dehumanize and harm us are unacceptable in American society,” NCAI President Fawn Sharp stated, advocating for a change in the Braves’ nickname and the cessation of broadcasting the gesture.
