EXCLUSIVE: The New York Yankees are back in the World Series, and Donald Trump is barreling toward the finish line of his third presidential campaign.
And somewhere out there, George Steinbrenner might be watching with a vested interest.
The late Yankees owner, known for his brash, unfiltered communication style and firing employees with ease, served as a role model to the former president during Trump’s ascent as a New York City businessman. Trump watched Steinbrenner during Yankees games to observe his behavior. Multiple people close to Trump have said he and Steinbrenner were close friends.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Steve Garvey met both of them in the 1980s, during the early years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. And for Garvey, who is now running for U.S. Senate in California as a Republican, Reagan was his gateway into the GOP.
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Donald Trump, at the behest of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, speaks at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tampa’s annual Steak ‘N’ Burger benefit at the Downtown Hyatt in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 19, 1988. (Victor Junco/St. Petersburg Times/Getty Images)
Having worked directly with Reagan and Trump and having negotiated with Steinbrenner and played against the Yankees in three World Series, Garvey believes Trump resembles Steinbrenner much more than Reagan with respect to leadership.
“Much more like Steinbrenner,” Garvey told Fox News Digital when asked who Trump had more in common with as a leader.
Garvey told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview he first met Reagan during the late president’s first foray into politics from acting when he served as governor of California in the 1970s. Garvey was still playing for the Dodgers at the time, but he went out of his way to volunteer at Reagan’s rallies. Garvey then had multiple state dinners with Reagan during his presidency in the ’80s.
“One day, I said ‘Mr. President, what are your core beliefs?’ He looked down, called me Steven, he said ‘God, lower taxes, smaller government and a chance for people to dream,’ and I thought, ‘That’s pretty interesting,'” Garvey recalled.
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President Ronald Reagan, right, and former Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger whisper during a meeting in 1983 in Washington, D.C. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
Garvey met Trump under very different circumstances. After Garvey retired from baseball in 1987, he made a push to purchase the last team he played for, the San Diego Padres. Garvey tried to bring in Trump as an investment partner in 1989 to try and make the purchase happen, but to no avail.
“We met for a little while, and he had all his properties back east. He was interested but not that interested at the time,” Garvey said.
Garvey never made a deal with Steinbrenner either.
A 1982 New York Times article reported that Garvey and Steinbrenner met in late November of that year after Garvey’s contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers had expired and he hit free agency. Garvey had played in three World Series against the Yankees at that time and helped Los Angeles defeat New York in the most recent meeting in 1981. Garvey had already made the All-Star team eight times to that point and won NL MVP in 1974.
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“You couldn’t help but have interest after talking to him,” Steinbrenner said of Garvey at the time. “He’s that kind of guy.”
However, the offer Steinbrenner was making reportedly lagged behind the offers being made to other star players.
Still, Garvey’s agent insisted the Yankees owner wanted to sign the star first baseman.
“I have no doubt George Steinbrenner wants Steve Garvey in a Yankee uniform and is making a strong effort to get Steve Garvey in a Yankee uniform,” the player’s agent, Jerry Kapstein, said.
Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey walks up to bat during the 1981 season against the Cincinnati Reds at Riverfront Stadium. (Malcolm Emmons/USA Today Sports)
Despite not coming to terms on a deal with Trump or Steinbrenner in the 1980s and the apparent similarities between the two, Garvey and Trump are on the same team now, just nine days out from the election.
Garvey is the underdog in his race against his Democratic opponent, House Rep. Adam Schiff. Garvey trails Schiff in a number of polls.
However, data shows that the state is leaning more Republican than it has in decades. In August, the California Secretary of State released a report on voter registration trends for the state since February, showing Republican registration surged in every state Senate, state Assembly and congressional district in all 58 California counties.
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