dkfielding/iStock(WASHINGTON) — The Boston Red Sox are slated to visit the White House Thursday afternoon to celebrate their October World Series win with President Donald Trump.
Several key members of the team have vowed to skip the White House visit, including Red Sox manager and three-time World Series champion Alex Cora. Cora told Puerto Rican newspaper El Nueva Dia he “doesn’t feel comfortable celebrating in the White House,” because of the Trump administration’s disaster relief response to Hurricane Maria.
Trump touched on disaster relief during a rally with supporters in Florida Wednesday night. While announcing $448 million in new disaster relief for areas of the Florida panhandle still recovering from Hurricane Michael, the president claimed that Puerto Rico received $91 billion to recover from Hurricane Maria.
According to fact checks from the Associated Press and the Washington Post, only $11 billion has been distributed to Puerto Rico so far. The president’s number included the total $41 billion Congress announced and $50 billion in expected future aid.
On Monday, Zineb Curran, the vice president of corporate communications for the Red Sox, told ABC News that the team supports and respects Cora’s decision.”We are grateful to our ownership for creating a culture where we discuss these issues openly and encourage individual decision making,” he said.
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