Trump Plans To Issue Posthumous Pardon For Baseball Great Pete Rose

President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Friday that he is planning to issue Major League Baseball legend Pete Rose a posthumous pardon.

“Major League Baseball didn’t have the courage or decency to put the late, great, Pete Rose, also known as ‘Charlie Hustle,’ into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Now he is dead, will never experience the thrill of being selected, even though he was a FAR BETTER PLAYER than most of those who made it, and can only be named posthumously,” Trump wrote.

“WHAT A SHAME! Anyway, over the next few weeks I will be signing a complete PARDON of Pete Rose, who shouldn’t have been gambling on baseball, but only bet on HIS TEAM WINNING. He never betted against himself, or the other team. He had the most hits, by far, in baseball history, and won more games than anyone in sports history. Baseball, which is dying all over the place, should get off its fat, lazy ass, and elect Pete Rose, even though far too late, into the Baseball Hall of Fame!” the president added.

Rose, who passed away last year at the age of 83, was permanently banned from baseball. In 2004, he admitted to betting on games but maintained that he never wagered against his own team. In 2015, Commissioner Rob Manfred denied Rose’s request for reinstatement, ESPN reported.

Pete Rose, of the Cincinatti Reds, crouches on the field before a game at Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York, New York, July 24, 1978. The game, against the New York Mets, resulted in Rose increasing his hitting streak to 37 consecutive games (the streak eventually lasted 44 games). (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)

Trump did not specify the details of the pardon. Rose served five months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion in 1990.

In a statement to ESPN, John Dowd, who conducted the investigation into Rose on behalf of MLB in 1989 and served as Trump’s lawyer seven years ago, noted that MLB is “not in the pardon business nor does it control admission to the HOF.”

Rose, who spent the majority of his career with the Cincinnati Reds from 1963 to 1986, won three World Series titles and still holds Major League Baseball records for career hits, games played, at-bats, singles, and outs, ESPN reported.

“Rose was league MVP in 1973, a 17-time All-Star, three-time batting title winner, Rookie of the Year and World Series MVP,” Fox News added.

Rose sought reinstatement in both 2020 and 2022, particularly as legalized sports betting expanded nationwide. However, Commissioner Rob Manfred rejected both requests, deferring any Hall of Fame considerations to the Veterans Committee. In 2023, Manfred again dismissed speculation about Rose’s reinstatement, citing the league’s partnerships with sportsbooks as a complicating factor.