Trump furiously lashes out at Baseball Hall of Fame and declared sport is in trouble
Trump furiously lashes out at Baseball Hall of Fame and declared sport is in trouble
Joseph McBrideWed, August 26, 2026 at 9:18 PM UTC
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Donald Trump said that baseball is in trouble after slamming Roger Clemens' HOF snub -Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited
President Donald Trump claimed that "baseball is in trouble" after criticizing the National Baseball Hall of Fame for snubbing 11-time All-Star Roger Clemens despite his decorated career.
Trump is an avid baseball fan and has campaigned for the late Pete Rose to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for several years despite his controversial past. Trump's protests and a petition raised by the Rose family led to MLB reversing its decision to impose an indefinite ban, given his death in 2024.
It's also been rumored that Trump could be involved in the latest MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement talks, though commissioner Rob Manfred slammed the "inappropriate" suggestion. After campaigning for Rose's eligibility, Trump has now switched his attention to Clemens.
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Clemens won the World Series twice and was one of the most dominant pitchers in MLB history. Despite retiring in 2007, he has been overlooked by the Hall of Fame.
Voters have rejected Clemens over suspicions that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career. His seven Cy Young Awards are more than any other pitcher in history, but the speculation has damaged his image.
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On Wednesday, Trump turned to Truth Social to question Clemens' omission and, in the process, called out the state of baseball. "How about Roger Clemens not being in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, all because a bunch of jealous people with far less talent, voted that he shouldn’t be there," he wrote.
"He was also not convicted, or admitted, to taking Drugs. Roger is easily one of the few Greatest Pitchers of All Time, winning 354 Games, 7 Cy Young Awards (A Record, by 3!), and played in three World Series, winning two! He was third in most Strike-Outs.
"The Commissioner told me he was going to approve Pete Rose, but he waited long enough until Pete died. No wonder Baseball is in trouble! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
Rose received a lifetime ban from baseball in 1989 following an investigation into claims that he had gambled on his own team. The late MLB star admitted to betting in 2004, but insisted that he never bet against his own team.
Roger Clemens has still not been acknowledged by the Baseball Hall of Fame -Credit:Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
Manfred rejected an appeal for Rose's reinstatement in 2015, which would have made him eligible for the Hall of Fame. Rose's ban lasted until 2025, one year after his death.
The reversal from MLB came after Manfred met with Trump to discuss several issues toward the start of his second presidential term. Trump announced before the decision that he would attempt to pardon Rose, but Manfred later ruled that bans would end with a person's death.
"Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game," Manfred wrote to attorney Jeffrey M. Lenkov, who petitioned for Rose's removal from the ban list. "Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.
"Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list."
Source: “AOL Sports”
