Vice President J. D. Vance is drawing criticism after appearing to support Major League Baseball players who altered their Pride Night caps with Bible verses during the Major League Baseball Pride event hosted by the San Francisco Giants.
Responding to a social media post showing Giants pitcher Landen Roupp wearing a rainbow-themed team cap with the Bible verse Genesis 9:11-16 written on it, Vance wrote, “Trump won we don’t have to do this anymore.” Vance did not clarify whether he was referring to Pride Nights, Pride-themed uniforms, or MLB’s decision to warn players for violating uniform rules.
MLB said its regulations prohibit any “alterations, writing or illustrations” on uniforms and issued warnings to the players, though no fines were reported. Roupp defended his decision, saying, “There’s no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for and what I stand in. I believe in God, and that’s me.” When asked how he would respond to LGBTQ critics, he said, “I would push them to read the Bible.”
Later, the Giants apologized, stating, “We understand that the choices by individual players have caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that.” Despite the controversy, 29 of MLB’s 30 teams are holding Pride Night events this season, with the Texas Rangers remaining the only exception.
