Going forward, were the president of a mind to further involve himself in baseball, he would have numerous avenues, presidential historians and baseball industry officials say.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe commissioner of baseball, like the leader of any major American national institution, has to be concerned about an unhappy president given the nature of this presidency,\u201d Columbia University presidential historian Tim Naftali said. \u201cThis president has made clear that if he doesn\u2019t like your institution, he will find a way to retaliate against you. What shouldn\u2019t really matter, which is whether or not the President and the commissioner get along, might actually matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Historically, when politicians have challenged baseball, they\u2019ve often done so by threatening to remove the sport\u2019s unique anti-trust exemption, though Trump\u2019s willingness to use his bully pulpit to influence events could mean he tries to get what he wants without going to such formal lengths.<\/p>\n
One immediate flashpoint looms: Border policy could directly affect baseball next month, when MLB\u2019s international tournament, the World Baseball Classic, is scheduled to be played in Houston, Miami and San Juan.<\/p>\n
But in baseball, there could be no greater catnip to this president than a high-profile work stoppage. MLB owners, who convene in Florida this week for their regularly scheduled meetings, are preparing a push for a salary cap and are widely expected to lock out players in December.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe threat of Trump\u2019s intervention in baseball, or any other sport, is extremely serious,\u201d said Allan Lichtman, a historian and political analyst at American University. \u201cIt\u2019s not new for presidents to get involved in sports, but Trump has much more aggressively used the powers of the presidency than any prior president to try to shape sports in his image.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is precedent for a president\u2019s involvement in baseball\u2019s labor relations.<\/p>\n
Bill Clinton tried to end the ugly 1994-95 player strike<\/a> by calling the players and owners to the White House. He didn\u2019t achieve much, but politicians sometimes make indirect gains when they veer into sporting matters.<\/p>\n \u201cBaseball is at least assertively the national pastime,\u201d said Gene Orza, a retired lawyer for the baseball players\u2019 union who attended the White House meetings. \u201cIt\u2019s fodder for politicians to try to intervene so they can get some acclaim. It\u2019s good publicity if they can solve problems, or, even if they are not the reason for it, be seen as having contributed to the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n The White House did not return requests for comment.<\/p>\n If Trump enters the fray in the expected lockout, the players could have the most to lose\u00a0\u2014 regardless of any resentment Trump might have for Manfred.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat jumps out at me is his extreme hostility to labor organizing,\u201d Lichtman said of Trump. \u201cIf he were to jump into a labor management dispute within baseball, I have no doubt that his anti-union proclivities would prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n But Trump could well wind up pressuring both parties.<\/p>\n \u201cHe could be very brutal on labor without picking sides,\u201d said one baseball industry official granted anonymity to speak candidly about a sensitive topic. \u201cJust beating the s\u2014 out of everybody to get a deal. Which I believe he will do.\u201d<\/p>\n Not all of baseball\u2019s owners are supportive of Trump, and the president also counts some players as friends. He publicly praised Clemens, for example, after they golfed together.<\/p>\n \u201cIt depends if he doesn\u2019t like a particular owner,\u201d Naftali said. \u201cWe have to keep in mind with President Trump that he sees himself as a populist leader. There are unions that he will support. After all, he\u2019s friendly with the police union. I\u2019m not sure I could game the politics there that easily.\u201d<\/p>\n Via presidential appointees, Trump has some influence over the National Labor Relations Board, an agency that could get involved in a lockout if either side levies a charge that the other committed an unfair labor practice.<\/p>\n Yet labor law ultimately appears to put some limit on what a president can achieve in a private-sector negotiation. Presidents typically rely on \u201cpersuasive authority,\u201d said Kate Andrias, professor of labor law and constitutional law at Columbia Law School, in the fall.<\/p>\n \u201cThey use the labor secretary to try to bring both parties to the table,\u201d Andrias said. \u201cThere is a very narrow provision in the law that does allow the president to seek a court injunction of a strike but only if several conditions are met, including that the strike would imperil the national health or safety.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s highly unlikely a work stoppage in baseball would meet those conditions.<\/p>\n \n President Trump has had a complicated relationship with MLB over his time in office. (SAUL LOEB \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n But if Trump wants to insert himself into baseball, he has other options.<\/p>\n The president has already helped team owners keep tax breaks that save them millions. When Republicans introduced their sweeping domestic bill to Congress last summer, it called for reduced tax breaks<\/a> for team owners across sports, not just baseball. Those clauses were removed<\/a> before the bill passed into law.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would, in effect, have cost owners billions of dollars,\u201d said the baseball industry official. \u201cTrump helped them get that done. He didn\u2019t have to. There\u2019s always issues that come up, up and down the road, that he can cause problems with.\u201d<\/p>\n MLB has also proactively altered some of its diversity equity and inclusion efforts in response to the White House. And public money goes to professional sports teams through stadium subsidies that local politicians hand out \u2014 politicians Trump might be able to influence.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2208456553-scaled.jpg\")
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