President Donald Trump has reacted positively to news that Curt Schilling may be running for Congress.
“Curt Schilling, a great pitcher and patriot, is considering a run for Congress in Arizona. Terrific!” he tweeted Tuesday morning of the former MLB All-Star and ex-baseball analyst.
ESPN fired Schilling in 2016 over his anti-transgender comments and prior to that, he was suspended by ESPN for a tweet comparing the modern population of Muslims to Nazis in the 1940s. ESPN also was “addressing” a 2016 comment he made about whether Hillary Clinton “should be buried under a jail somewhere.”
Schilling has a history of controversial statements on race, politics, social issues and religion. He has retweeted conspiracy theories about mass shootings.
As Trump cheered for his potential political run, other Twitter users are reminded followers of Schilling’s numerous headline-making moves off the baseball field.
Journalist Hilary Sargent noted, “Four years ago I came across Curt Schilling selling pieces from his Nazi memorabilia collection and wrote about it. Now @realDonaldTrump is encouraging him to run for Congress,” linking to a piece she wrote.
Beyond his commentary on Muslims and trans individuals, journalists like Nate Goldman are highlighting Schilling’s business history: “Curt Schilling defrauded the state of Rhode Island out of $75M for his video game company, which he then crashed into the ground, sparking a years-long lawsuit that ultimately left the taxpayer on the hook.”
Goldman added, “He’s also quite transphobic and Islamophobic.”
After he got fired by ESPN, Schiling announced his intention to run for the White House in 2024 in the comments section of his own Facebook post bashing President Barack Obama, Clinton and former California state senator Leland Yee.
“State office first, white house in 8 years,” Schilling wrote, when asked by a commentator if he was running for office, “or 4 if by some amazing illegal event this country elects another clinton,” he added.