Johnny Damon nonetheless remembers when he first met Donald Trump. However simply as a lot, Damon remembers how sure individuals have handled him for being mates with Trump.
“Unfortunately, whenever you say you’re friends with Donald Trump, we have a lot of people who just can not understand that,” Damon instructed Fox Information Digital in an unique interview.
The previous MLB star met Trump throughout his time with the New York Yankees, and met him straight by way of the group. After Damon left the Boston Crimson Sox for the Yankees in December 2005, Trump, who was then a New York Metropolis businessman and actuality TV star, invited the baseball star to play golf in Mar-a-Lago. They have been joined by former New York Mets captain David Wright on the inexperienced.
And when Trump discovered that Damon was coming to New York to play for the Yankees, a workforce Trump had been well-connected to over time, he made a pitch to Damon to maneuver into certainly one of his buildings. However Damon had already moved into a spot within the Bloomberg Constructing.
Ten years later, Trump could have gotten his revenge on Damon for not shopping for a spot in his constructing. In 2015, Damon appeared within the seventh season of “Celebrity Apprentice,” the place Trump fired Damon within the sixth episode for writing a nasty product jingle.
However none of that stopped the 2 from changing into shut mates. For Damon, that friendship blossomed into staunch political help. It was a degree of help that Damon needed to be ready to defend himself over.
“We’ve just been really good friends, and I’m glad that he’s back in office and I’m glad we have somebody who’s going to be out there, somebody who’s going to answer questions, somebody who’s going to do the work to make America great again,” Damon stated.
“Unfortunately, this last administration, we can’t see anything positive that they’ve done, and hopefully, Donald Trump doesn’t get any backlash for anything he’s doing because he’s already done more than what President Biden has done in his four years and Trump’s not even in office right now. So I’m very, very happy my friend is back in office.”
Damon is aware of in regards to the backlash to Trump as a result of he has been on the receiving finish of it too.
Damon famously endorsed Trump in 2016, and even spoke at certainly one of his rallies in Orlando that November, igniting backlash from left-leaning baseball followers on social media on the time.
“I disowned him when he sold his soul to the devil (Go Sox). Is there a way to double-disown him?” one disgruntled Boston Crimson Sox fan wrote on X (then generally known as Twitter) in a 2016 response to footage of Damon on the rally.
One other consumer insulted Damon’s intelligence, writing, “Stupid is as stupid does. No one said he was smart,” in response to the 2016 footage.
However after Trump received in 2016, Damon’s loyalty amid the backlash paid off with an opportunity to launch a profession in politics.
In December 2020, Trump appointed Damon to serve on the President’s Council on Sports activities, Health, and Diet. Damon joined fellow Yankees World Sequence champion Mariano Rivera, former Ohio State coach City Meyer, UFC fighter Colby Covington and NFL Corridor of Famer Troy Vincent.
The appointment impressed Damon to think about a future in politics, however that ended after a run-in with police.
In February 2021, Damon was arrested in Florida for a DUI. Leaked bodycam footage of his arrest confirmed a drunk Damon claiming that he was being focused for supporting Trump. It got here only a month after Jan. 6.
“Hey, bro, I’m a good f—ing guy. I know people are trying to target me because I’m a Trump supporter,” Damon instructed a police officer within the video. The officer stated Damon’s help for Trump had nothing to do with the arrest, to which Damon responded, “Yeah… it does.”
Damon, who has beforehand needed to cope with backlash for supporting Trump, instructed Fox Information Digital that he had three beers earlier than he received within the automotive, and his thoughts was on politics the entire evening.
“I was getting ready to run for politics, and thinking about it seriously, and then I get pulled over,” Damon stated, including that he disagreed with what the police officer’s breathalyzer take a look at stated about his blood alcohol degree.
“Unfortunately, people want to go after great citizens, and at the end of the day I’m going to continue to be who I am.”
Police reported that Damon had a blood-alcohol content material of 0.30% – greater than triple the authorized restrict in Florida. He was additionally charged with resisting arrest with out violence. His spouse, Michelle Mangan-Damon, was charged with battery on a law-enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.
Damon acknowledges that he made a “stupid” choice driving that evening after ingesting. However he believes at this level in his life he has overcome it by doing charity work and is now dedicated to elevating his youngsters.
Nonetheless, Damon’s help and fondness for Trump isn’t going wherever, it doesn’t matter what anybody’s response to it’s.
“I’m going to continue to be friends with him,” Damon stated. “And I support my friends through the thick and thin, the good and the bad, so that’s who I am and that’s who I’m going to continue to be.”
