President Donald Trump has again inserted himself into the Hall of Fame debate. This time, the President is calling for Roger Clemens to be enshrined in Cooperstown after playing golf with the seven-time Cy Young Award winner. But USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale quickly reminded the public that neither Major League Baseball nor its commissioner has any control over who is elected.
“Someone needs to tell Donald Trump that neither MLB nor the Baseball Writers’ Association of America has any say in Roger Clemens’ Hall of Fame candidacy at this point,” Nightengale wrote. “I voted for Clemens and Barry Bonds all 10 years they were on the BBWAA ballot, but their time ended.”
Clemens fell short of the 75 percent threshold required by writers. He peaked at 65.2 percent in his final year of eligibility in 2022. His case now rests with the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, a 16-member panel of Hall of Famers, executives, writers, and historians. Clemens received fewer than four votes when the group last considered him, far short of the 12 needed for induction.
Donald Trump continues to meddle in MLB affairs
Trump’s lobbying recalls his public push earlier this year for the reinstatement of Pete Rose. Rose, the Cincinnati Reds legend and baseball’s all-time hits leader, was permanently banned for gambling on the game. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred lifted that ban only after Rose’s death, clearing the way for Cooperstown to consider him posthumously.
Trump has compared Rose’s case to Clemens’, but Nightengale stressed that the Hall of Fame is a separate entity from MLB. Even if Trump believes he can sway the process, the final decision rests with the committee.
Clemens’ career numbers remain staggering. He has 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts, and two World Series titles to his name. But his ties to performance-enhancing drugs through the Mitchell Report and testimony from his former trainer have long clouded his candidacy.
For Cincinnati fans still bitter about Rose’s fate, Trump’s involvement in Hall of Fame debates may sound familiar. Yet as Nightengale made clear, presidential influence cannot change the process. Clemens, like Rose, remains on the outside looking in.
