Joe Biden Booed During Surprise Appearance At Congressional Baseball Game

US President Joe Biden surprised many when he showed up for the Congressional Baseball Game Wednesday night, but was greeted with angry boos by Republican fans.

When Biden reached the Nationals Park, Washington, DC, the Democratic side of the stadium erupted in cheers of “Build Back Better" while the Republican fans booed, with some people shouting, “Joe s***s!”

As the President acknowledged the crowd and greeted the players, the game got little delayed. Some Republican fans shouted “Let’s play ball," according to New York Post. Biden was also seen chatting with members of the Democratic team.

Apart from the boos at the stadium, Biden was criticized for making an appearance at the game while his administration has to deal with multiple crises, reported Daily Mail. Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley tweeted saying the fact that the President has time to go to the game but not take out time to see the humanitarian crisis at the border or take questions on Afghanistan "is a disgrace."

In the 2021 contest between the Republicans and Democrats, an event that usually raises over $1 million for charity, the former won, reported Reuters. It is a tradition that started in 1909 though last year's game was called off due to the pandemic.

Republican Representative Kevin Brady said ahead of the game, "This builds relationships, and creates a timeout from some of the harshest, I think, partisanship atmospheres I've seen in Congress."

The President's appearance at the game comes at a time when the Democrat Party is currently divided over the infrastructure and social spending bill, with Senator Joe Manchin saying in his statement that he would not support the $3.5 trillion bill, calling it “the definition of fiscal insanity.”

In the statement issued Wednesday, he said that he can’t support $3.5 trillion more in spending when already $5.4 trillion was spent since last March. At some point, he felt that everyone, regardless of the party, must ask "how much is enough?”

Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, said that the infrastructure bill would be defeated if it came up for a vote Thursday. She noted that after Manchin's statement, they probably have more people willing to vote against it.