2024 isn’t just about sports and fandoms. With the US Presidential Elections set to happen this year, there’s an added urgency in every matter. Celebrities and people have started showing support for their preferred candidates. The New York Yankees legend and Hall-of-Famer Mariano Rivera has joined the discussion by declaring his support for the presumptive Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump.

Rivera has consistently referred to Trump as his “friend” and that is the reason for his support. However, this support has led to Rivera finding himself amid some controversies. As a result, it is important to understand how close Trump and Rivera are.

Mariano Rivera’s “friendship” with Donald Trump

In a recent interview with radio host Sid Rosenberg on Sid & Friends in the Morning, Rivera said – “President Trump, he’s my friend, I can’t deny that. I will tell that to anyone. Before he was the president, he was my friend. Because of that, I’m going to vote for him.” Rivera said that he was not going “for the Right or the Left” instead he was voting for someone who is “doing the right thing for the country.” Trump shared Rivera’s words on his social media platform, Truth Social. This isn’t a new revelation by Rivera – he has been involved with Trump for a long time.

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In 2019, Rivera was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump for his philanthropy. The man popularly called “Sandman” by the fans was also a part of the former President’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission in March 2017. Later Rivera was also nominated as the co-chair for the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.  

Videos of the two playing catch together have also gone viral on social media. As a result, Rivera’s support for Trump isn’t surprising. However, it hasn’t always been a smooth ride for the two. In 2019 Rivera found himself in hot waters over his support for Israel and connections with “far-right” groups. 

The consistent support from the former POTUS by the Yankees legend

As reported by USAToday in 2019, author Robert Silverman claimed that Rivera has “taken part in thinly veiled propaganda on behalf of a far-right government in Israel.” During that time Rivera was also accused of having “served at the pleasure of a racist president,” by an opinion piece on the Daily Beast. To this Rivera once again reiterated his support for Trump, “I respect what he does and I believe he’s doing the best for the United States of America.” 

Later during an interview with the FOX News, Rivera also showed his support for Israel. The Hall-of-Famer stated that his Christian faith guides his support for Israel. As a result, Rivera found himself in hot waters. However, eventually that controversy subsided but his support for Trump has clearly persisted. This is another signal that Trump’s push to win over sports fans hasn’t ended yet. 

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