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Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Ryan Thompson met President Donald Trump at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix last week.
The pitcher shared a photo of himself and Trump, saying it was an “incredible honor” to “meet the leader of the free world.”
“I will never forget the joy I felt when I woke up to the results of 2016. Fast forward ten years, the greatest president of our lifetime is still fighting for the American people,” Thompson wrote in an X post Tuesday. “Asking for continued favor upon [@POTUS] and our country. USA!”
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryan Thompson pitches against the Chicago White Sox at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on April 21, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
Speaking about a soon-to-be-released Pentagon study on UFOs, Trump told the audience that it seemed like the right crowd to hear about the study because Arizonans are “really into it.”
“I figured this was a good crowd because I know you guys. You’re really into it. I don’t know if I am,” the president told them.
The event preceded the Diamondbacks’ game against the Toronto Blue Jays, which the D-Backs won 6-3. Thompson did not pitch in the game – Pakinomist Digital contacted the Diamondbacks about whether Thompson made it to the stadium for the game after the event, but did not immediately receive a response.
Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryan Thompson pitches against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field on March 30, 2026. (Joe Rondone/The Republic/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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Thompson has pitched in an MLB-high 14 games this season to a 4.66 ERA, allowing five earned runs in 9.2 innings. All five of those runs have come in each of his last two outings.
Thompson is recently engaged to Ryann McEnany, the sister of “Outnumbered” and “Saturday in America” host Kayleigh McEnany. Kayleigh is married to former MLB pitcher Sean Gilmartin.
As a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, Thompson was one of five players to peel a pride-themed logo from their jersey and chose not to wear the team’s pride-themed caps.
Erika Kirk joined President Donald Trump on stage during the memorial service for political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on September 21, 2025. Turning Point USA, founded by the late Charlie Kirk, announced a dollar-for-dollar match of the federal government’s $1,000 contribution to the “Trump Account” program for its employees. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Jason Adam, a pitcher who was part of that group, said it was a “faith-based” decision.
