John Rocker: I Endorse Donald Trump For President
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York Mets fans may be heckling this endorsement.
Former Atlanta Braves closer John Rocker is officially backing Donald Trump for president.
Rocker told The Daily Caller that Trump has "really woken America up."
"I'm probably as disheartened as everyone else is, as Trump supporters seem to be, with the status quo and the glad-handing politicians and the soundbite politicians always looking for the right comment to make and walking that fine line trying to make every single faction out there, who could be a possible voter, don't make anybody mad and wear kid gloves," Rocker said.
The outspoken former ballplayer is a fan of Trump's policies on the economy and immigration.
"I wish someone ... would have the backbone to make unpopular comments, and when folks come out — mainly media, special interest groups, factions, things like that — and just start hammering them and demanding apologies… I've always wanted to see the person that's like, 'Yeah, I've made these comments, these are my beliefs, and you know what, if you don't like it stick it. I'm not apologizing, I'm not changing," Rocker told The Daily Caller. "I think that is something that millions and millions of Americans have been waiting for probably a decade or two to hear something. Maybe even since Reagan."
Rocker -- who infamously trashed New Yorkers in a 1999 Sports Illustrated interview -- explained that Trump represents "New York values."
"[New Yorkers] are always striving for the best. 'We want to be the best.' The best. It can get a little obnoxious and arrogant but at the same time, it can be a good thing," he told The Daily Caller. "Yes it's a bit of a racket living in New York because everything is so expensive but people who live there, they love it and they're willing to work damn hard and get callouses on their hands and elbow grease on their elbows just to live there, and I think that's very commendable in a lot of areas."
This is a far cry from how Rocker described New Yorkers years ago.
"The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. I'm not a very big fan of foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?" Rocker told Sports Illustrated.
He also said in the same interview he would retire first before playing in the Big Apple.
"It's the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're [riding through] Beirut next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It's depressing," Rocker said at the time.
A recent CBS News/New York Times poll shows Trump still leading his Republican presidential opponents nationally, garnering 36 percent of support from GOP primary voters. Sen. Ted Cruz came in second at 19 percent.
