BARACK Obama has praised Major League Baseball for pulling its All-Star Game out of Georgia as his fellow former president Donald Trump demands a boycott over the "woke" move.
Obama tweeted "congratulations" to the MLB over the decision to relocate the game and the 2021 draft from Atlanta due to the state's new voting law.
The legislation has been blasted as restrictive by Democrats, who claim it unfairly limits minority groups' access to the ballot box.
Obama applauded the MLB for "taking a stand on behalf of voting rights for all citizens."
"There’s no better way for America’s pastime to honor the great Hank Aaron, who always led by example," the former president added in a tweet on Saturday morning.
He was referencing the home-run-hitting baseball great Hank Aaron who played 21 out of his 23 seasons for the Atlanta Braves.
Aaron's work on the baseball field and as the face of the sport in the Deep South has been described as a form of civil rights activism, according to NBC.
Georgia-based companies such as Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines also made strong statements against the new voting law.
Yet former President Trump was among those to criticize the MLB's decision, claiming that the league is "afraid of the Radical Left Democrats."
On Saturday night, he released a second statement about the move in which he called for a mass boycott of the MLB and the companies who have spoken out.
He also repeated claims about election rigging as he blasted "woke cancel culture."
"For years the Radical Left Democrats have played dirty by boycotting products when anything from that company is done or stated in any way that offends them," the statement read.
"Now they are going big time with WOKE CANCEL CULTURE and our sacred elections.
"It is finally time for Republicans and Conservatives to fight back — we have more people than they do — by far!" Trump added.
"Boycott Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, JP Morgan Chase, ViacomCBS, Citigroup, Cisco, UPS, and Merck."
The former president encouraged his supporters to "not go back to their products until they relent."
"We can play the game better than them," he claimed, adding that the "Radical Left will destroy our country if we let them."
"We will not become a Socialist Nation," Trump concluded.
President Joe Biden has sided with Obama and voiced his support for the move from Atlanta after the White House pressured the MLB to relocate the event last week.
Biden described the new voting law in Georgia as "Jim Crow on Steroids" in an interview with ESPN.
The All-Star Game, which was set to take place at Truist Park on July 13, would have been Atlanta's third time as host, having previously held the event in 1972 and 2000.
League Commissioner Rob Manfred explained the decision to move earlier this week.
"Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views," he said in a statement.
"I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year's All-Star Game and MLB Draft."
Manfred added that the MLB "fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box."
While his statement stops short of mentioning the law change directly, Manfred's comments appear to come in reference to the Election Integrity Act of 2021, a controversial new bill signed by Gov. Brian Kemp last month.
The sweeping legislation makes multiple changes to the voting process in the state, making it more difficult to vote by mail or without a valid ID.
Supporters of the bill said the new law merely ensures the integrity of future elections, despite no evidence of voter fraud being found in 2020 – contrary to Trump's repeated claims.
Critics, meanwhile, say the changes disproportionately effect minority groups, including black Georgians, Hispanics and the disabled.
Gov. Kemp on Saturday hit out at Biden, Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola and MLB during a press conference.
He accused them of not reading the bill and of "caving into fear and lies from liberal activists."
In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves said they were "deeply disappointed" about the MLB's decision to move the event.
"This was neither our decision, nor our recommendation and we are saddened that fans will not be able to see this event in our city," the team wrote.
"The Braves organization will continue to stress the importance of equal voting opportunities and we had hoped our city could use this event as a platform to enhance the discussion."
A new venue for the All-Star Game and draft has not yet been announced.
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