EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Damon still recalls when he first met Donald Trump. But fair as much, Damon recalls how certain people have treated him for being frifinishs with Trump.
“Unblessedly, whenever you say you’re frifinishs with Donald Trump, we have a lot of people who fair can not comprehend that,” Damon tbetter Fox News Digital in an exclusive intersee.
The establisher MLB star met Trump during his time with the New York Yankees, and met him honestly thraw the organization. After Damon left the Boston Red Sox for the Yankees in December 2005, Trump, who was then a New York City businessman and fact TV star, askd the baseball star to carry out golf in Mar-a-Lago. They were combinecessitate by establisher New York Mets captain David Wright on the green.
And when Trump set up out that Damon was coming to New York to carry out for the Yankees, a team Trump had been well-combinecessitate to over the years, he made a pitch to Damon to shift into one of his produceings. But Damon had already shiftd into a place in the Bloomberg Building.
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Johnny Damon and Donald Trump combine the “Celebrity Apprentice” red carpet event at Trump Tower on Feb. 3, 2015, in New York City. (D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)
Ten years tardyr, Trump may have gotten his revenge on Damon for not buying a place in his produceing. In 2015, Damon materializeed in the seventh season of “Celebrity Apprentice,” where Trump fired Damon in the sixth episode for writing a horrible product jingle.
But none of that stopped the two from becoming seal frifinishs. For Damon, that frifinishship flourished into staunch political help. It was a level of help that Damon had to be setd to deffinish himself over.
“We’ve fair been repartner outstanding frifinishs, and I’m content that he’s back in office and I’m content we have somebody who’s going to be out there, somebody who’s going to answer asks, somebody who’s going to do the toil to produce America wonderful aget,” Damon shelp.
“Unblessedly, this last administration, we can’t see anyleang preferable that they’ve done, and hopefilledy, Donald Trump doesn’t get any response for anyleang he’s doing becaemploy he’s already done more than what Pdwellnt Biden has done in his four years and Trump’s not even in office right now. So I’m very, very satisfied my frifinish is back in office.”
Damon comprehends about the response to Trump becaemploy he has been on the receiving finish of it too.
Damon honordly finishorsed Trump in 2016, and even spoke at one of his rallies in Orlando that November, igniting response from left-leaning baseball fans on social media at the time.
“I disowned him when he sbetter his soul to the devil (Go Sox). Is there a way to double-disown him?” one disgruntled Boston Red Sox fan wrote on X (then comprehendn as Twitter) in a 2016 response to footage of Damon at the rpartner.
Johnny Damon during Johnny Damon and Bubba Crosby Attfinish the Celebration of Yankees Universe Day, May 16, 2006, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Cgo in in New York City. (Duffy-Marie Arnoult/WireImage)
Another employr condemned Damon’s ininestablishigence, writing, “Stupid is as foolish does. No one shelp he was ininestablishigent,” in response to the 2016 footage.
But after Trump won in 2016, Damon’s loyalty amid the response phelp off with a chance to begin a nurtureer in politics.
In December 2020, Trump assigned Damon to serve on the Pdwellnt’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Damon combinecessitate fellow Yankees World Series champion Mariano Rivera, establisher Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, UFC fighter Colby Covington and NFL Hall of Famer Troy Vincent.
The assignment eased Damon to think about a future in politics, but that finished after a run-in with police.
In February 2021, Damon was arrested in Florida for a DUI. Leaked bodycam footage of his arrest showed a drunk Damon claiming that he was being focemployd for helping Trump. It came fair a month after Jan. 6.
“Hey, bro, I’m a outstanding f—ing guy. I comprehend people are trying to concentrate me becaemploy I’m a Trump helper,” Damon tbetter a police officer in the video. The officer shelp Damon’s help for Trump had noleang to do with the arrest, to which Damon replyed, “Yeah… it does.”
Damon, who has previously had to deal with response for helping Trump, tbetter Fox News Digital that he had three beers before he got in the car, and his mind was on politics the whole night.
“I was getting ready to run for politics, and leanking about it gravely, and then I get pulled over,” Damon shelp, inserting that he disconcurd with what the police officer’s breathalyzer test shelp about his blood spirits level.
“Unblessedly, people want to go after wonderful citizens, and at the finish of the day I’m going to persist to be who I am.”
Police inestablished that Damon had a blood-spirits satisfied of 0.30% – more than triple the legitimate restrict in Florida. He was also accused with resisting arrest without presentility. His wife, Michelle Mangan-Damon, was accused with battery on a law-enforcement officer and resisting arrest with presentility.
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Former Pdwellnt Trump and Johnny Damon ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational Series event at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
Damon accomprehendledges that he made a “foolish” decision driving that night after drinking. But he consents at this point in his life he has fall shorture it by doing charity toil and is now promiseted to raising his kids.
Still, Damon’s help and fondness for Trump isn’t going anywhere, no matter what anyone’s response to it is.
“I’m going to persist to be frifinishs with him,” Damon shelp. “And I help my frifinishs thraw the dense and lean, the outstanding and the horrible, so that’s who I am and that’s who I’m going to persist to be.”
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