Trevor Noah has a theory about why Trump won't throw the Nationals' opening pitch

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Trevor Noah Donald Trump first pitch Daily Show Comedy Central

"The Daily Show with Trevor Noah"/Comedy Central

President Donald Trump cited a scheduling conflict in keeping him from throwing the first pitch at the Washington Nationals' opening day, but Trevor Noah believes he knows the real reason.

"Oh no! Wby isn't Donald Trump going to honor this classic presidential tradition?" Comedy Central's "Daily Show" host responded to the news of Trump's decision. "It's throwing a baseball, not releasing your tax returns."

William Howard Taft started the more than 100-year tradition in 1910. Since then, 13 presidents, including President Barack Obama, have thrown the ceremonial first pitch.

"I'm like, yeah, sure," Noah said of Trump's "scheduling conflict." "Donald Trump does not know how to throw a baseball. That's what's going on here. That's what's happening, which is weird because he also doesn't know how to run a country. But he's not embarrassed to try that. I wish he had a scheduling conflict for that."

The host then threw in a jab at the failure of "Trumpcare": "I bet a Trump pitch would get about as far as his healthcare bill. You know, just drop halfway down to the plate. And then he'd blame Paul Ryan."

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Donald Trump

Charles Krupa/AP

To be fair, Trump has thrown ceremonial first pitches before, such as in 2006 at Boston's Fenway Park. But Noah did poke fun at the awkward photos that resulted from the event.

"He's the only person who looks like he's afraid of being hit by the ball when he's throwing it," Noah joked.

Former President Barack Obama also declined the Nationals' invitation in his first year in office in 2009, doing the pitch instead the next year. So Trump still has time to fulfill the tradition.

Watch Noah's take on Trump refusing the first pitch below: