Cardinals, Rays players say Trump-like gestures not endorsements

Players on the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays say recent celebrations don’t mean they’re backing former President Donald Trump.

Rays shortstop Taylor Walls doubled Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Upon reaching second base he pumped his fist and appeared to say “fight, fight,” a reference to Trump’s similar gesture after his attempted assassination on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“It wasn’t necessarily directed at Trump politically,” Walls told the Tampa Bay Times. “More so the inspirational side of someone (who) almost just got their life taken away from them and their first instinct was to stand up and show strength.”

Walls added that the move had a lighter side.

“It was one of those things that we were in the moment,” Walls said. “I got on (base) there. And I saw the guys just laughing, cracking up, so I knew they were anticipating me to do it and I was like, ‘All right, I’ve got to give it to them now.’ And that was kind of it.”

Another celebration Sunday reflected Trump’s action.

Cardinals designated hitter Alec Burleson hit a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves. While rounding third base, he cupped his right ear.

Some thought that the move referenced Trump, who was struck by gunfire on his ear.

Players on the Cardinals insisted the move was meant to mimic a DJ.

“Burleson is a former college rapper. He’s been carrying us at the plate. (The celebration) is the furthest thing from a political statement. It’s an inside joke with (Burleson),” the Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter told The Athletic.

Carpenter added that the team has been doing the move since earlier in the season. 

The alleged association between the Cardinals and Trump was enough to send one commentator into a tizzy.

Keith Olbermann, formerly of ESPN and MSNBC, wrote in a now-deleted post on X that the Cardinals were “Trump Nazis” and said they should “stick to sports.” 

Trump had a more positive take, sharing a Citizen Free Press post on his Truth Social platform that the Cardinals were making a “salute to Donald Trump” and that now the team “might just win it all.”