Why is Donald Trump pardoning Pete Rose’s ban from MLB’s Hall of Fame after 35 years?

Will Pete Rose finally get inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame with Donald Trump’s support after getting banned for sports gambling?

Why is Donald Trump pardoning Pete Rose’s ban from MLB’s Hall of Fame after 35 years?

Donald Trump and Pete Rose [Image Credit: Thought Co/The Independent]

Baseball legend Pete Rose’s ban from the Hall of Fame has always been a hot topic in the MLB. Rose applied to reinstate his name on the ballot during his lifetime but was rejected by Commissioner Rob Manfred in 2015. 

Following his death in September last year, his daughter Fawn Rose and Pete’s lawyer Jeffrey Lenkov met with Manfred and MLB spokesman Pat Courtney in December to talk about his reinstatement again. Currently, the petition is being reviewed, and with President Donald Trump’s pardon message, there might be some changes.

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However, Trump’s pardon of Pete Rose doesn’t necessarily mean that the hit king will be up in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it may increase his chance to do so. Trump said that he’ll grant a “complete pardon” of Rose, but it did not mention the details.

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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.

Donald Trump on Truth Social.

According to Donald Trump, Rose’s issue has been going on for decades with no solution, and now, with his death, he should be honored for his contribution to MLB. He boldly stated that the baseball community “should get off its fat, lazy a**” and honor the legend in Cooperstown. 

Rose was convicted of gambling and tax evasion. However, Trump pointed out how the player never bet against his team winning and has been the MLB’s all-time leader in hits with 4,256 record. 

He served jail time and became eligible to be inducted into the HOF by the MLB. The league has yet to comment on Trump’s statement. In 1991, the league board of directors declared that no players with a gambling history would be allowed in MLB’s Hall of Fame.

In 2004, Rose admitted to betting in games during his role as the Cincinnati Reds manager from 1985-87. Lenkov said that Rose would have “appreciated the president’s commitment to him” and would have been thrilled if he was named in the HOF. For now, the Rose’s petition issue will be re-read and commented on further by the MLB. 

Pete Rose’s heartfelt plea to MLB for a “second chance”

Prior to his death in September 2024, Pete Rose, in an interview with KTLA-TV, pleaded to MLB for a “second chance”, noting how America always gives a second opportunity to everyone equally. Many have questioned MLB for its strict rule and demanded for Rose’s reinstatement following his records in the league.

Pete Rose
Pete Rose [Image Credit: People]

Among many voices, Stephen A. Smith has been the most vocal in the Pete Rose’s Hall of Fame debate. He said that while Rose indeed made mistakes with gambling in baseball, it shouldn’t be the sole focus of his entire career.

MURDERERS have been let off quicker than Pete Rose has. And baseball wants to sit up there with its high and mighty hypocritical self and literally denigrate this man…We know he hurt himself. We know that wasn’t a good look, but it shouldn’t erase 23 years and they did it anyway.

Stephen A. Smith as per Awful Announcing on X.

Rose once said that he did not see any meaning in him getting inducted into the HOF if it’s after his death, as he cannot relish the pure joy of the occasion. Unfortunately, he wasn’t pardoned during his lifetime, but now, with changes in the sports world itself and with Trump’s latest comment, things may change.