Trump Awards Presidential Medal of Freedom to Roger Clemens

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to baseball Hall of Fame candidate Roger Clemens.

Trump made the announcement during a rally in San Antonio, Texas, where Clemens, a longtime supporter of the former president, introduced him. Trump referred to Clemens as one of the greatest pitchers in history and criticized his repeated exclusion from the Hall of Fame.

"Roger Clemens is being given the single highest award," Trump declared. "We're giving him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and tonight I'm announcing that Roger Clemens is being given this."

Clemens, a 11-time All-Star who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, notably with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros, has never been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Trump attributed this to his seven Cy Young Awards, a record for a pitcher.

"He won seven Cy Young. If you win one, you're a superstar. If you win one, you go to the Hall of Fame for the most part. You win two, you're guaranteed. He won seven, and they didn't take him," Trump stated.

Despite praising Clemens' career accolades, Trump also made a reference to the pitcher's past controversies regarding performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens was named in the 2007 Mitchell Report on steroids in baseball, with allegations including former trainer Brian McNamee stating he injected Clemens with steroids. Clemens was acquitted of lying to Congress in 2008 when he testified that he had not used steroids.

"By the way, people talk drugs. He never admitted to anything," Trump said. "They have no information. They didn't find anything. He never admitted to anything. He's just a physical monster. He's a big, strong, and he just he was great."

Trump then added a remark about Clemens hitting batters: "Now he did have a couple of problems. He was known for two things as a pitcher: power and accuracy. I said, then Roger, how come you hit more batters than any other pitcher in history? Which is true, he hit more batters than any. And when he hit you, it hurt."

Clemens, visibly surprised, returned to the stage to accept the announcement. He expressed his gratitude for the honor, particularly from Trump, and noted the significance of receiving it in his home state of Texas. Clemens also playfully corrected Trump on the hit-batter statistic, suggesting it was the hitter's responsibility to avoid being hit.

"This supersedes anything that obviously I've done in my playing career," Clemens said. "And, to get it from this and this president... there wouldn't be another president I'd want to get from. And announcing it here in my home state, and again from this this man, you're talking about a winner. That's a winner right there."

Clemens acknowledged the honor, stating, "I can't thank you enough. That's a huge honor. I am stunned. And again, thank you all very much."

Trump has previously advocated for Clemens' induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, particularly on social media, comparing his situation to that of Pete Rose. Clemens, who holds numerous pitching records, including seven Cy Young Awards and 354 career wins, has been repeatedly passed over for Hall of Fame induction over his ten years on the ballot. His eligibility through the Hall's Eras Committees remains a possibility.