Report: Trump phoned A-Rod to discuss government's response to COVID-19
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United States President Donald Trump reportedly turned to an unusual source while navigating COVID-19.
Earlier this week, Trump phoned former New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez and his fiance, entertainer Jennifer Lopez, to discuss his government's response to the ongoing pandemic, multiple sources told Katherine Faulders and John Santucci of ABC News.
Trump's mission was apparently to seek A-Rod's thoughts about his government's response to COVID-19, though it's unclear why the president sought out his advice.
The tone of the call was "pleasant," a source close to the three-time American League MVP told Faulders.
Despite apparently being consulted, neither Rodriguez nor Lopez are expected to take any official role in the Trump government's coronavirus response team, according to Santucci.
The president, meanwhile, denied the story in the best way he knows how:
More Fake News! https://t.co/URewvfAUDl
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
Trump, a longtime Yankees fan, has often butted heads with Rodriguez. He authored multiple derisive tweets about the slugger during the latter years of his career, including one stating A-Rod had "disgraced" the Yankees and another claiming he was disliked by the staff at Trump's Manhattan apartment tower.
Trump has long displayed an animus toward A-Rod which resulted from a disagreement on whether Rodriguez was going to buy a unit in Trump Tower (he didn’t; Trump thought he was going to). Not the first person you’d expect him to call. https://t.co/THPr71HdXr
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) March 28, 2020
Rodriguez, who hit 696 home runs during his 22-year career with the Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers, retired in 2016.