Explained: Why Donald Trump called for Roger Clemens’s immediate Hall of Fame induction, cited Pete Rose case

Donald Trump has advocated for Roger Clemens's inclusion in the Baseball Hall of Fame through a social media post. This statement came after Trump played golf with Clemens and his son Kacy.Roger Clemens, widely considered one of baseball's greatest pitchers, was mentioned in the 2007 Mitchell Report regarding steroid use in baseball.

Despite consistently denying performance-enhancing drug allegations, these connections affected Hall of Fame voters' perception of both Clemens and Barry Bonds, the home run king.Earlier this year, Trump claimed responsibility for Pete Rose's reinstatement by Major League Baseball. Rose, who passed away in 2024, received a lifetime ban from MLB in 1989 for baseball gambling. Commissioner Rob Manfred removed Rose from the permanently ineligible list in May, potentially allowing him to appear on a Hall of Fame ballot.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"We are going to be like Pete Rose where ... they wouldn't put him in the Hall of Fame until I spoke to the Commissioner, and he promised to do so, but it was essentially a promise not kept because he only 'opened it up' when Pete died and, even then, he said that Pete Rose only got into the mix because of DEATH. We are not going to let that happen in the case of Roger Clemens," Trump posted on social media last Sunday.

Trump's statement reveals a misunderstanding of the Baseball Hall of Fame selection process. While he demanded MLB to induct Clemens immediately, the Baseball Writers' Association of America conducts the voting, and neither the league nor commissioner can unilaterally add players.Unlike Rose, who never appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot, Clemens had ten opportunities for induction through BBWAA voting from 2013-2022.

However, he never achieved the required 75% threshold.Barry Bonds, also linked to performance-enhancing drugs, appeared on the ballot alongside Clemens each year but similarly failed to secure enough votes. Both players later appeared on a veterans committee ballot in 2022 but were unsuccessful.Clemens and Bonds might have another opportunity on the veterans committee ballot in December. A 16-person panel will consider contemporary era players for 2026 induction.Recent procedural changes implemented by the Hall of Fame in 2025 could prevent Clemens and Bonds from future ballot appearances if they receive fewer than five votes in the upcoming selection.