President Donald Trump planned to attend the New York Yankees’ game in the Bronx on Thursday night, coinciding with the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he was “excited” to be part of the president’s visit.
Speaking at a pregame press conference, Boone said he expected Trump to enter the team’s clubhouse for a brief interaction and recalled past encounters with presidents at Yankee Stadium. Security at Yankee Stadium was elevated to Transportation Security Administration levels for the game, and authorities deployed sniffing dogs on the premises. Trump had attended a Sept. 11 ceremony at the Pentagon earlier in the day, following news of the reported killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Boone, in his eighth season as Yankees manager, said he looked forward to interacting with the president for a few minutes but did not elaborate on what the visit would entail. “Had the honor and fortune of some presidents over the years, first pitches or whatever it may be,” Boone said. “So the fact that he’s gonna be here, I’m excited to be a part of. I don’t know what it’ll be like, but to interact with him for a few minutes, something I’m looking forward to.”
He reflected on his personal connection to Sept. 11, noting that he was with the Cincinnati Reds organization at the time of the attacks and that baseball played a role in restoring a sense of normalcy for New York and the nation in the months that followed. "Making sense of it and what it all meant, and now with my connection to the Yankees and knowing what the Yankees, the Mets, and really baseball overall, the role that our sport played in that time. Healing, normalcy, something," Boone said. "To see that postseason live out and watching it from afar was very meaningful. And then the sobering reflection of today of the lives lost, the heroic things that took place on that day by so many. So it’s always a sobering day, a day of reflection, but also a day of as a sport, there’s some pride in the role our sport played in that time."
Before gates opened, Boone and pitchers Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón placed a wreath at the Sept. 11 monument in Monument Park. Boone described the visit to the memorial as "really meaningful," saying he has participated in the wreath ceremony before and found it powerful to see the names and tributes to the Twin Towers, Pentagon, first responders and others honored there.
Security measures for the evening reflected the significance of both the anniversary and the high-profile visitor. The president’s attendance marked his first time at a baseball game during his second term; his prior recent appearance at a Yankees-related event was at the 2021 World Series. The Yankees and Mets are scheduled to play at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 11 next year, the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
Boone spoke about the emotional atmosphere that can accompany Sept. 11 commemorations at ballparks, recalling past games at Citi Field and noting fans and participants who carry deeply personal connections to that day. "Knowing how many personal stories there are to the people that will be in the building tonight, the people that were in the building that night at Citi Field, and to field that kind of raw emotion in the building, you just look around, you see people with tears in their eyes, that buzz but silence," he said.
The Yankees have regularly marked Sept. 11 with pregame ceremonies and moments of reflection that involve players, coaches and staff. The team’s attendance at Monument Park and the wreath-laying echoed longstanding practices around the anniversary, honoring victims, first responders and others affected by the attacks.
The president’s appearance drew attention not only for the symbolic timing but for the security and logistics surrounding a presidential visit to a major sporting event on a solemn anniversary. Boone said he expected the visit to be brief and focused on the ceremonial elements that often accompany a presidential appearance.
Yankees players and officials declined further comment beyond Boone’s remarks. The team’s observances on the 24th anniversary reaffirmed a pattern of remembrance at ballparks in New York and underscored the continued intersection of sport, public mourning and civic ceremony on key national anniversaries.