Donald Trump isn’t tuning into the 2025 Fall Classic. He did, however, release an official White House statement to address the World Series. “This year’s World Series brings together two exceptional teams that earned their place through talent and determination… May the best team win, and may God bless our national pastime and the United States of America,” the message read. Apparently, there’s something unresolved between him and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.

Donald Trump will not let it go this easy. While heading to Japan, Trump, along with some administration officials, spoke to reporters.

“I haven’t been watching it too much. I’m disappointed they didn’t put Pete Rose in. I said put Pete Rose in before he dies. He had over 4,000 hits; they didn’t do it.” He said.

Donald Trump made it clear long ago where he stands on one of the most heated debates in American sports. He fully supports Pete Rose, the Cincinnati Reds legend, in earning a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Trump has long advocated for Rose’s reinstatement and even helped spark discussions that influenced MLB’s policy change.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “They didn’t put Pete Rose in. I asked the commissioner to put Pete Rose in long before he died — about a year before. They didn’t get it done. They should have; Pete Rose was a great baseball player.”

Trump met with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred at the White House earlier this year regarding Rose’s case. But his support for the all-time hits leader stretches back years — even to 2016, before Ohio’s presidential primary, when Trump declared, “We’ve got to let Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame.”

Trump kept trying, even until and after Pete Rose’s last breath. The MLB legend passed away on September 30, 2024. Exactly a few hours later, the U.S. president took to X to express his feelings about the Reds player.

“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. Do it now, before his funeral!” Donald Trump noted back then. Well, Pete Rose still hasn’t made it to Cooperstown. What’s the holdup anyway?

All you need to know about Pete Alonso’s Hall of Fame Status

For three decades, Pete Rose held the frustrating title of being the biggest name left off every Hall of Fame ballot. His numbers were never the issue. He was the GOAT of his era and beyond.

The lifetime ban for betting on baseball kept him locked out with no clear path back. Everything shifted in 2025, just months after Rose passed away in September 2024 at 83.

His family pushed for a second chance and filed a reinstatement request. Meanwhile, Rob Manfred responded with a major policy change. From now on, any player permanently banned during their lifetime would become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration once they’re gone.

Pete Rose hasn’t been inducted, at least not yet. The Hall’s Era Committees can finally debate his case. That could reshape how the baseball world remembers “Charlie Hustle” for generations to come.

Even long before the rule changed, Pete Rose was still everywhere inside the Hall of Fame Museum. His bat from hit No. 3,000 —the jersey fans instantly recognize, even those famously dirt-stained cleats —all proudly displayed.

Cooperstown celebrated everything he did on the field. All while refusing to give him a place on the plaque wall. The mixed message left fans frustrated for decades. How could baseball’s all-time hit leader not even get a chance at the ballot?

Now that the door has finally opened, even if only after his passing, the debate over Pete Rose is entering its most important moment. With 2027 just a few months away, all eyes shift to Cooperstown. Baseball has to choose last.