(Reuters) – The Washington Nationals have accepted an invitation to visit U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to celebrate the franchise’s first World Series triumph.
The Nationals, who began playing in the U.S. capital in 2005 when the Montreal Expos moved there and changed their name, beat the Houston Astros on Wednesday in the decisive seventh game of Major League Baseball’s championship series.
Their decision to visit with Trump, who is currently facing an impeachment inquiry, was announced on Twitter by a White House official on Friday.
Trump attended Game 5 of the World Series at Nationals Park. When the image of Trump at the stadium appeared on the big screen during the game, the president was greeted with loud boos and chants of “Lock him up!” from some in the crowd of more 42,000.
It has been a long-standing tradition for championship teams to visit the White House, but there has been some controversy over the practice since Trump took office.
Numerous athletes on championship squads have said they would not go to the White House while Trump is in office, occasionally prompting Trump to rescind invitations.
In recent years, Trump has disinvited the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, while other championship teams have seen several players sit out the trip.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
