Former President Donald Trump was excited Sunday to tout the endorsement of his 2024 candidacy from Yankees legend Mariano Rivera.
The legendary Yankees player endorsed Trump during an interview Friday with WABC radio host Sid Rosenberg, saying he would be proud to vote for his “friend,” Donald Trump, in November.
Donald Trump awarded Rivera the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019, an experience Rivera fondly recalled during Friday’s interview.
“Having been given the Freedom of Honor medal from Donald Trump was amazing. I mean, it was an amazing moment,” Rivera said, according to the New York Post. “Receiving that medal was special.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Mariano Rivera in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019. (Andrew Harrer/Blomberg)
Rosenberg echoed Rivera’s support for Trump.
“I’m very afraid, Mariano, for New York and this world … I’ve got a 19-year-old daughter, she’s gonna turn 20 on Sunday, and a 15-year-old son, and I think we need President Trump to win, or it could be very, very ugly. Do you agree with that?” the radio broadcaster said.
“I agree with that,” Rivera replied. “President Trump, he’s my friend. I can’t deny that. Before he was the president, he was my friend. Because of that, I’m going to vote for him.”
For his part, the former president posted the interview to his Truth Social account along with a photo of Rivera’s 2019 Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony.
Mariano Rivera is a 13-time All-Star, a five-time World Series champion, and a one-time World Series MVP. He played with the New York Yankees for his entire career from 1995 to 2013. He was unanimously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
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