As he seeks the presidency, Donald Trump is doubling down on another campaign of his - as he revives his fight for baseball legend Pete Rose to be accepted to the Hall of Fame.
In a social media post, Trump called for Rose's decades-old ban from the Hall of Fame to be lifted in light of his death Monday.
"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," Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social. "Do it now, before his funeral!"
Rose, the all-time hits leader in Major League Baseball, died in Las Vegas from heart disease on Monday. He was 83.
Over the course of his playing career, mainly with the Cincinnati Reds, "Charlie Hustle" became a baseball icon thanks to the relentless drive he displayed on the field.
He won Three World Series, two with the Reds and one with the Philadelphia Phillies, and his hits record of is the greatest ever.
Widely considered one of the greatest baseball players ever, Rose was permanently barred from the sport over a gambling scandal that emerged in the late 1980s, and later led to his permanent exclusion from the Hall of Fame.
Rose eventually admitted to betting on the Cincinnati Reds while he managed the team, but he was never found to bet against them.
Over the years, Trump has advocated for Rose, arguing he paid his dues and should be honored for his achievements.
In a 2020 post, Trump wrote, "Pete Rose played Major League Baseball for 24 seasons, from 1963-1986, and had more hits, 4,256, than any other player (by a wide margin). He gambled, but only on his own team winning, and paid a decades long price."
While it's unclear if Rose's death will have any impact on his Hall of Fame status, "Charlie Hustle" is being mourned as a legend all the same.
"Major League Baseball extends its deepest condolences to Pete Rose’s family, his friends across the game, and the fans of his hometown of Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Montreal and beyond who admired his greatness, grit and determination on the field of play. May he rest in peace," the league wrote.
