Roger Clemens Speaks Out After Trump Gives Him Medal of Freedom Surprise

Donald Trump announced during a rally in San Antonio, Texas, that he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former MLB star Roger Clemens, using the stage to blast the Baseball Hall of Fame for keeping the pitcher out.

Clemens, who is a vocal Trump supporter, introduced the president to the crowd before Trump took the microphone and praised the seven-time Cy Young Award winner as one of the greatest hurlers in baseball history. In his remarks, Trump lamented that Clemens had been snubbed by the Hall of Fame, recalling a recent round of golf where he told the pitcher it was a “ridiculous thing” that he lacked a plaque in Cooperstown.

“Forget about the Hall of Fame,” Trump told the cheering Texas crowd, announcing that he would instead give the nation’s highest civilian honor to the 64-year-old former ace.

 

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Clemens, who appeared to be visibly surprised, returned to the stage to accept the announcement, telling supporters that the recognition outshines anything he achieved during his 24-season career.

“This supersedes anything that obviously I’ve done in my playing career,” Clemens said, adding that receiving the honor from Trump made it even more meaningful.

The announcement spotlighted Clemens’ complex legacy. While the right-hander established himself as an all-time great with stints for the Boston Red Sox—including striking out 20 batters twice in a game—and won two World Series titles with the New York Yankees, his career also holds a controversial post due to his alleged steroid use. He was named in the 2007 Mitchell Report after his former trainer, Brian McNamee, claimed that he injected Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs between 2008 and 2011, though Clemens maintained his innocence and was found not guilty of lying to the Congress in 2008. The New York Daily News also previously reported in 2008 that Clemens was caught in a long-running affair with the late country music singer Mindy McCready.

However, despite the past controversies, Trump’s latest announcement Clemens is now set to receive the country’s highest civilian honor, which places him among monumental figures like civil rights icons and space pioneers.