特朗普总统表示，他将向有争议的棒球传奇人物罗杰·克莱门斯颁授总统自由勋章，并称这是对美国棒球大联盟名人堂的“一次重大进步”——后者多次拒绝承认他的功绩。
President Trump said he will award controversial baseball legend Roger Clemens the Presidential Medal of Freedom, saying the honor is a “big step up” from the MLB’s Hall of Fame — which has repeatedly declined to recognize him.
“我很高兴宣布，我们自己来处理这件事。忘掉名人堂吧，他总有一天会进去的。我是说，我不知道他们怎么能一直把他拒之门外，”特朗普在宣布克莱门斯获得总统自由勋章——美国最高民间荣誉——之前说道。
“I’m pleased to announce that we are taking it into our own hands. Forget about the Hall of Fame; he’ll get there someday. I mean, I don’t know how they can keep him out,” Trump said before announcing Clemens’ Medal of Freedom recognition — the U.S.’s highest civilian honor.
来自德克萨斯州、在大联盟中排名前列的克莱门斯在圣安东尼奥的活动开始时为总统介绍了自己，目的是在11月选举前一个多月为德州共和党候选人拉票。他为特朗普大加称赞，称他是“热爱我们的国家的男人”，并呼吁与会者记住“他为我们献出了生命”。
Clemens, a Texas-raised former MLB player who ranks among the league’s most decorated pitchers, introduced the president at the start of the San Antonio event — aiming to boost Lone Star State GOP candidates less than a month before November's elections. He heaped praise on Trump, calling him a “man that loves our country” and calling on attendees to remember that “he put his life on the line for us."
据路透社报道，拥有20多年职业生涯的棒球明星克莱门斯曾因向国会作证有关2008年使用增强药物的指控而成为联邦调查对象。他在2012年被 acquitted 所有相关的伪证罪名。
The baseball star of over 20 years was the subject of a federal probe surrounding his testimony to Congress about his 2008 performance-enhancing drug use allegations, according to Reuters. He was acquitted of related perjury charges in 2012.
特朗普去年12月呼吁棒球名人堂委员会将克莱门斯选入名人堂，并归咎于前总统奥巴马的司法部，将其描述为利用“谣言和暗示”来指导其调查。
Trump called on the Baseball Hall of Fame Committee in December to induct Clemens, blaming former President Obama’s Justice Department for what he described as using “rumors and innuendo” surrounding the alleged doping to inform its investigation.
“罗杰·克莱门斯是唯一一位赢得300场比赛却没有名人堂荣誉的投手，这简直是个彻头彻尾的 travesty！”特朗普当时在Truth Social上发文写道。“他从未测试呈阳性，当奥巴马司法部以他服用类固醇为由对他提起刑事诉讼时，罗杰——他一直否认服用任何药物——被完全 acquitted 所有指控。”
“Roger Clemens is the only pitcher who has won 300 games to not have the honor of being enshrined in the Hall of Fame, which is a total travesty!”Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at the time. “He never tested positive and, when the Obama DOJ went after him in a criminal case claiming that he did take steroids, Roger, who has always denied taking any drugs, was FULLY ACQUITTED OF ALL CHARGES.”
克莱门斯在总统宣布授奖后上台感谢总统，称这次认可是“一个巨大的荣誉”，并开玩笑说特朗普在此前的讲话中夸大了他的成绩数据。
Clemens took the stage to thank the president after he announced the award, calling the recognition a “huge honor” and joking that Trump had inflated his statistics in earlier remarks.
“没有其他总统我愿意从他那里拿到它,”被昵称为“火箭”的前投手说道。
“There wouldn't be another president I'd want to get it from,” the former pitcher, nicknamed “Rocket,” said.