The Nationals "accepted an invitation to visit President Trump at the White House" today for the "traditional champions celebration, less than a week after winning their first World Series," according to Nakamura & Dougherty of the WASHINGTON POST. The "quick turnaround for the celebration is unusual, but most of the players are in town" following the championship parade on Saturday. However, one "prominent team member," P Sean Doolittle, already has said that he "does not plan to attend" the White House visit (WASHINGTON POST, 11/2). In N.Y., Dennis Young noted it "took six months for the Red Sox to visit Trump after winning the World Series last year" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/2). USA TODAY's Chris Bumbaca wrote Doolittle has "never been shy of his liberal beliefs" (USA TODAY, 11/2). In Boston, Peter Abraham wrote it is a "smart move" by the Nationals to get the White House visit "done quickly." The Red Sox spent six months "being asked about who would go" and "whether they should go" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/3).
IN THE BUILDING: In N.Y., Noah Weiland notes Trump on Saturday attended UFC 244 at MSG, and within seconds of his entrance, the room was a "cocktail of boos, roars and cheers." Perhaps "anticipating a sour response," event organizers at MSG "didn’t display Mr. Trump’s image on the large screens dotting the arena, a move that prompted boos and taunts at the World Series game" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/4). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay notes presidents "go to sporting events, it happens all the time." But this was a "bold new step in presidential athleisure." No president had "ever been to a UFC event." They had to "shut down the block" around MSG. Security had "layers upon layers." UFC President Dana White said that the president’s handlers "pushed Trump to sit in a suite, but the president preferred to be close to the action" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/4). CNN’s Brian Stelter noted Trump's visit to UFC 244 "potentially helped" his friends, namely White and Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, just a "few weeks after Endeavor's failed IPO" (RELIABLE SOURCES, 11/4).
