Image of Donald Trump with baseball bat aimed at opponent's head sparks outrage: "Trump inciting violence yet again!"

Former US President Donald Trump has come under fire from MLB fans on Twitter after a post that some say is promoting violence against his political opponents.

In a recent update on his own social medium called Truth Social, Trump posted a picture of himself holding a baseball bat. This was juxtaposed against an image of Alvin Bragg, an outspoken critic of Trump.

Bragg is the District Attorney for New York County, a post he was elected to in 2021 after receiving 86% of the vote. Since February, his office has been investigating an alleged payment of $130,000 from Trump to a mistress.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump posted an image of himself with a baseball bat, claiming that just 10% of Manhattan residents voted for Alvin Bragg to be their District Attorney.

The post awoke MLB fans, who do not typically shy away from a baseball-related Twitter furore, especially when it involves someone as famous and controversial as the former President. Some are claiming that Donald Trump's post entails a personal threat against Bragg. Others believe it is just an all-too-familiar empty show of machismo from Trump.

Bragg, who prosecuted top Trump ally Steve Bannon last year, is thought to be intent on arresting Trump over the alleged payment.

Some are making references to the infamous January 6, 2021 riot. Trump has been widely accused of "inciting" his supporters to carry out the violent and destructive scenes in Washington DC that day.

Donald Trump remains a lightning-rod for controversy

This is not Trump's first forray into the world of baseball. He was criticized in 2021 for making the "Chop" move at an Atlanta Braves playoff game. The chop has been condemned by those who say that it reinforces negative stereotypes about Native Americans.

Although Trump's recent post had nothing to do with Aaron Judge or the impending MLB season, fans were still happy to pile on. Whatever the future may hold for the former president, MLB fans have the 2023 season (which starts this week) to think about instead.

About the author

Adrian Dorney is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda. Having worked over five years in the industry, Adrian strives to combine statistical analysis with the human side of baseball reporting. Since a lot of his briefs involve publishing content with urgency, he has perfected a process involving a combination of trustworthy sources and assessment with intuition.

His lifelong tryst with baseball began with growing up in Toronto and watching the Blue Jays regularly. His favorite player is Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., and Jose Bautista's go-ahead home run in 2015 ALDS Game 5 remains his favorite baseball memory to date.

When not working, Adrian is constantly looking to learn new things and he also loves playing golf and chess.

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