PHILADELPHIA — Our bizarre president wanted the Gulf of Mexico renamed the “Gulf of America,” wanted to rename Veterans Day to “Victory Day for World War I,” and now wants to redefine the word “permanent.”

Well, like former Phillies star Pete Rose on a typical day at bat, President Donald Trump‘s 1 for 3.

In February, shortly after his second inauguration, Trump tweeted that he planned to “PARDON” Rose, whatever that meant. Trump included in the tweet his inability to comprehend why betting on baseball as a manager — even if you bet on your own team as Rose did — is beyond forgiveness, even beyond the grave.

Notably, Rose endorsed Trump and supported his political career. That only makes sense; they are both convicted felons.

About a month ago, Trump entertained Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred at the Oval Office, where they discussed the latest petition from Rose representatives to rescind the permanent — yes, permanent — ban of Rose from baseball, which has kept Rose ineligible for induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose, who was banned from baseball in 1989, died in September at age 83.

Manfred has refused to address the content of that conversation with the subject of the book, "The Art of the Deal." Did Trump threaten baseball, perhaps specifically its antitrust exemption, if Rose was not reinstated? Did he make promises to Manfred if Rose was reinstated?

In any case, on Tuesday, Manfred clearly capitulated to Trump. He redefined the word “permanent” to mean “lifetime,” and likely opened floodgates of revenue to Rose‘s heirs, who will petition the Hall for Rose’s candidacy.

According to ESPN, Manfred personally called Trump and delivered the news while Trump traveled in Saudi Arabia.

The only impediment to Rose‘s enshrinement now is if fewer than 12 of the 16 members of the Hall’s Classic Baseball Era Committee, the group that decides on players more than 15 years removed from the game, vote to keep him out, since he assuredly will be one of eight names chosen by the Historical Overview Committee. The Classic Baseball Era Committee next votes in 2027, which means Rose‘s official enshrinement would be in 2028.

“Major League Baseball’s decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered,” Hall chairperson Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement on the website Tuesday.

Expect the Committee to reconvene sooner than 2027. Expect it to be as stacked as Trump‘s Supreme Court.

There’s simply too much money at stake to delay, and Manfred knows it. The merchandise. The midsummer festival in Cooperstown. The Pete Rose mania fueled by staunch Trump advocates; not every pro-Rose person is pro-Trump, but it’s been my experience that the two groups are very nearly homogeneous.

Manfred’s outrageous redefinition included, in his statement on MLB.com, the illogical observation that “It is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve.”

That’s ridiculous. Yes, a lifetime penalty is quite a deterrent. However, a permanent penalty means that the heirs of the person who was banned cannot profit after he has died. Michael Jackson’s estate has earned more than $2 billion since his death in 2009. That would be a far greater deterrent.

Rose won’t have the profit power of Jackson’s body of work, but the King of Pop and the Hit King weren’t very far apart in terms of accomplishment. The value of Rose memorabilia spiked after his death. How much will it skyrocket now that he’s destined for the Hall?

The question now: What’s in it for Trump?

Maybe votes.

Rose is a Cincinnati native and a Reds legend, but Trump won Ohio in all three of his presidential runs, and he’s already selling merchandise for a run at what would be an unconstitutional third term. Still, he’s polling terribly in the Buckeye State after a surreal first 100 days.

The ruling frees not only Rose but 15 other players, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and the Chicago “Black Sox,” and one executive, former Phillies owner William D. Cox, who also admitted to betting on his own team in 1943.

There is no argument that Rose’s on-field accomplishments are worthy of a plaque in Cooperstown.

Rose is MLB‘s career leader in hits, with 4,256, and hit .303, but his impact on the game went much further than lining singles for 24 years. He earned the nickname “Charlie Hustle” for his hell-bent style of play, which led the Big Red Machine to two World Series titles and finally put a pedigreed Phillies team over the top in 1980 for their first, long-awaited championship.

Mike Schmidt, the greatest Phillie in history, has long advocated for Rose’s reinstatement and hoped one day Rose would join him in the Hall.

Thanks to President Donald Trump, that day is much closer than ever before.

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