Jose Altuve had an awkward day with Trump while the Astros visited the White House - and the images are amazing

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Jose Altuve had an awkward day with Trump while the Astros visited the White House - and the images are amazing

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Jose Altuve Trump

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros stares down President Trump during the Houston Astros visit to the White House.

  • The Houston Astros had their traditional post-championship White House visit on Monday, with the team meeting with and speaking to President Trump.
  • AL MVP Jose Altuve attended the trip, but didn't look particularly happy to be there.
  • He drew attention for appearing to stare down Trump with a glare for the majority of the visit.
  • Two other players - Carlos Correa and Carlos Beltran - elected to skip the trip altogether.

The Houston Astros went on their post-championship trip to the White House on Monday, producing some memorable images of players interacting with President Donald Trump.

Perhaps most notable was AL MVP and World Series superstar Jose Altuve. While he's one of the most photogenic athletes you'll find in all of sports, he didn't look particularly happy to be at the White House.

Altuve maintained the steely glare you see above for the majority of the time Trump spoke about the team. The most cringeworthy moment of the day came when Trump called out Altuve by name, leading to an awkward handshake and a joke about the Silver Slugger-winning second baseman's size.

Altuve even maintained his glare when Astros manager A.J. Hinch took the podium. As the team and Trump applauded their manager's announcement that the team was "honored" to be at the White House, Altuve looked like this:

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Team visits to the White House after winning a championship have been a tradition for some time. But they have become an increasingly politicized event since Trump took office.

Some teams have skipped the trip altogether, as the Golden State Warriors and North Carolina Tar Heels both elected to do after their 2017 titles. For the most part, though, teams have continued their trips to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, though some players have chosen to opt out of the opportunity, either in public protest or simply skipping the trip for unspecified reasons.

The Astros' visit on Monday featured more of the same. Carlos Correa and Carlos Beltran both chose to skip the event, though Beltran claimed his absence didn't have any direct relation to Trump.

This is likely not the last contentious White House visit of the Trump presidency. The Philadelphia Eagles are likely next on the schedule to make a visit. But already, numerous players have said they plan to skip the trip in protest of Trump.

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