Trump, Once a Harsh Critic, Schmoozes With Yankees Legend A-Rod

What in the world of baseball was Alex Rodriguez doing crashing a White House celebration for Lionel Messi and the MLS Cup champion Inter Miami CF on Thursday?The short answer: He was invited.The former New York Yankees legend and current co-owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves made an unexpected appearance during a White House celebration honoring Mr. Messi and Inter Miami, following their 2025 championship season in Major League Soccer.Mr. Rodriguez, who won three American League Most Valuable Player awards during a 22-year career in Major League baseball, has no formal ties to Inter Miami. But he has long been a prominent figure in the Miami sports and business communities, making his presence in Washington less surprising in a city where sports, celebrity and politics often intersect.Mr. Rodriguez arrived with Attorney General Pam Bondi and joined players, team officials and dignitaries gathered in the East Room. President Trump welcomed the club co-owned by soccer icon David Beckham and led by Mr. Messi, who is widely considered one of the greatest players in the sport’s history.Mr. Trump, who posed for pictures with Mr. Rodriguez in the Oval Office before the ceremony began, said he had personally invited the former slugger to the soccer celebration. Mr. Trump told the gathering: “I said, ‘Hey do you want to come up for an award? He’s gone to plenty of award ceremonies. Thank you, A-Rod.”Mr. Trump reminisced about the power hitter’s time in pinstripes, recalling sitting with the late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner while watching Mr. Rodriguez play.His warm remarks stood in sharp contrast to comments he made about Mr. Rodriguez a decade ago after the baseball star admitted using performance-enhancing drugs. The scandal led to a record 162-game suspension in 2014 and has kept him from being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame despite hitting a 696 home runs in his career and helping the Yankees win the 2009 World Series.During that turbulent period, Mr. Trump was among Mr. Rodriguez’s harshest critics. In social media posts in 2012 and 2013, Mr. Trump blasted Mr. Rodriguez, calling him a “druggie” and suggesting his achievements were fueled by banned substances.None of that history surfaced during Thursday’s ceremony, where the focus was on Mr. Messi and soccer’s growing popularity in the United States.The Argentine icon presented Mr. Trump with several gifts from the club, including a pink Inter Miami jersey emblazoned with “Trump” and the number 47 on the back, a jeweled team soccer ball and a limited-edition Tudor watch.Mr. Rodriguez looked on as Mr. Trump gushed over Mr. Messi, debating whether he is better than the late Brazilian icon Pele, and saying his youngest son Barron is a huge admirer of Mr. Messi.“Barron is a big fan of yours,” Mr. Trump said. “He thinks you’re a great person. He’s a tremendous fan of yours, as well as a gentleman named Ronaldo … Cristiano is great.”The White House visit illustrated how Mr. Rodriguez’ post-baseball life has evolved and even thrived despite his PED scandal. Since retiring from baseball in 2016, he has built a second career as a businessman, investor and television analyst in addition to being part of the Timberwolves ownership group.Mr. Rodriguez told the Athletic that after extensive work with a trauma therapist and clinical psychologist, he has “divorced” himself from the idea of being in the Hall of Fame. He said he has taken responsibility for his past actions, calling himself a “recovering narcissist” who needed a lot of work.“I have a life today that I didn’t have for the first 40 years,” Mr. Rodriguez told the Athletic. “If I went to the Hall of Fame, in a weird way, I would be hollow inside. I would still be in a lot of pain.“I would rather have what I have today because it really helped me unlock a lot of the work that I needed to do.”While Mr. Rodriguez might have seemed like an outlier at a ceremony honoring the MLS champions, his presence may not have been without a purpose. His success in sports and business positions him to be an influence in discussions involving economics and sports business, two important initiatives of the Trump administration.

Trump, Once a Harsh Critic, Schmoozes With Yankees Legend A-Rod

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