President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening announced he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former MLB pitcher Roger Clemens.
Trump revealed the former pitcher would receive the country’s highest civilian honor during a rally for Senate nominee Ken Paxton in Texas. Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion raised in Houston who played on teams such as the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, introduced Trump at the San Antonio rally, hailing the president as “a man that loves our country, that puts all of us first, and puts America first.”
Trump called Clemens back onstage after saying he would award the athlete the Medal of Freedom, describing the former pitcher as someone who will “be in the Hall of Fame someday.” The announcement follows Trump’s tradition of awarding the prestigious medal to athletes, including Mariano Rivera and Babe Ruth, who were also both Yankees pitchers, along with Jerry West, Bob Cousy, Tiger Woods, Roger Staubach, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player, and others.
“He deserves it. One of the greatest athletes and maybe the greatest pitcher of all time, and he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. But this is a big step up from the Hall of Fame. The Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump said of Clemens.
President Donald Trump greets Roger Clemens at a campaign rally at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26281035378569.jpg?w=696" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26281035378569.jpg?w=696" alt="President Donald Trump greets Roger Clemens at a campaign rally at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026." class="wp-image-4758667" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26281035378569.jpg 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26281035378569.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26281035378569.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26281035378569.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AP26281035378569.jpg?resize=696,464 696w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
President Donald Trump greets Roger Clemens at a campaign rally at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
As he stood by Trump, the pitcher said he was “stunned.”
“Twenty-four years, y’all. This supersedes anything that obviously I’ve done in my playing career, and to get it from this man, this president, that there wouldn’t be another president I’d want to get it from,” Clemens said. “That’s a winner right there. You see it, and the way he talked about all my stats, he could be my agent. I guess I could come out of retirement again.”
.@POTUS announces that Roger Clemens will be awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.https://t.co/8oTkjULPLt pic.twitter.com/ic3Whr1Y3g
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 8, 2026
Clemens denied allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career. In 2012, a federal jury acquitted him on all counts after prosecutors accused him of lying to Congress about his alleged drug use.
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Trump referenced the scandal on Wednesday.
“People talk drugs. He never admitted to anything. They have no information. They didn’t find anything,” the president said. “He never admitted to anything. He’s just a physical monster, OK? He is. He’s big, strong, and he just, he was great.”
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
