Donald Trump is a fan of Pete Rose, but the love isn’t necessarily mutual.
Rose’s attorney, Ray Genco, told The Washington Post on Monday his client never sent the signed baseball of which Trump boasted receiving the previous day. Genco added that Rose, an Ohio native and hero, did not endorse Trump’s presidential candidacy ahead of Tuesday’s primary in the Buckeye State.
“We do not know how Mr. Trump got the ball,” Genco said. “I can’t authenticate the ball from some Twitter picture.
“I can’t speak to how Trump got the ball. Pete didn’t send it. I made that clear.”
Genco further clarified Rose’s stance on this year’s presidential election.
“Pete has made a point not to ‘endorse’ any particular presidential candidate,” Genco wrote in a letter to The Post later in the day. “Though he respects everyone who works hard for our country — any outlet that misinterpreted a signed baseball for an endorsement was wrong. Pete did not send any candidate a baseball or a note of endorsement.
“That said, through my discussions with Pete about this cycle, I’ve learned that he believes that who to vote for is a decision each voter should decide for him or herself. Pete knows and has impressed upon me that, above politics, it’s leadership and teamwork (that) make all the difference. Both the left and right are baseball fans — and it is those institutions and their people that make America exceptional.”
Trump on Sunday shared a photo of a baseball, which appeared to bear Rose’s signature and the candidate’s campaign slogan. Trump’s campaign declined to answer The Post’s questions about whether Rose actually sent him the ball, so we’ll have to take Genco at his word.
Rose is staying out of this one.
Thumbnail photo via Frank Victores/USA TODAY Sports Images
