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Perhaps it should come as no surprise that former President Donald Trump is positioning himself as an ardent supporter of the late Pete Rose.
While Pete Rose holds numerous MLB records and is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, he also comes with tons of personal baggage, having been caught gambling on games as a player and manager, while also being accused of sexually assaulting a minor in the 1970s.
The MLB records that Rose holds include all-time hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,215), and outs (10,328).
Following Rose’s passing earlier this week, the 34-time convicted felon and Republican nominee for President demanded that he be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Not only that, but he wants it to be done expeditiously before Rose’s funeral.
“The GREAT Pete Rose just died. He was one of the most magnificent baseball players ever to play the game. He paid the price! Major League Baseball should have allowed him into the Hall of Fame many years ago. Do it now, before his funeral!” Trump posted on Truth Social, whose parent company Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. is down 70% since going public.
Following Rose’s death at the age of 83 years old, the debate surrounding his induction into the Hall of Fame immediately reignited, with some fans arguing that, by dying, he had fulfilled the terms of his ‘lifetime ban.’ Rose, however, was technically placed on the ‘permanently ineligible’ list, therefore nullifying any suggestion that his death satisfied the terms of his banishment.
According to legendary announcer Bob Costas, in order for Rose to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, they would have to repeal a rule they put in place in 1991 that bans players on the ineligible list from being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Costas says that the rule was enacted “ex post facto,” meaning it was retroactively added specifically to block Rose from entering the HoF when he became eligible in 1991, five years after his retirement as a player in 1986.