The family of Pittsburgh Pirates icon Roberto Clemente appears to be divided over one of his son’s endorsement of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“That action does not represent the total thought of the family,” Luis Roberto Clemente, one of Clemente’s three sons, said in a video posted on his Facebook page.
Luis Clemente’s comments followed his older brother’s surprise appearance Monday night at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
Roberto Clemente Jr. stood onstage alongside Trump and expressed his support for the former president.
“My father, the name Clemente, what it means is goodwill and unity. I believe that your team is going to bring it all home. I believe in everything that you stand for right now,” said Roberto Clemente Jr., who lives in Pennsylvania.
Luis Clemente was quick to distance himself from his brother’s position.
A speaker at a Trump rally Oct. 27 in New York called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” sparking outrage from Democrats and Republicans and accusations of racism.
“We live in a democracy, and everyone has a right to vote for whoever they desire — that’s why as part of the United States we have the privilege to do so,” said Luis Clemente, who lives in Puerto Rico. “I just want to make sure that everyone understands that Roberto Jr.’s actions are his actions. Mine are mine.”
Luis Clemente said he and his brother spoke recently but Roberto Jr. never mentioned the Trump endorsement.
“I will always defend our island and our people from anyone who actually chooses to trash us, to talk about us in a very negative way as it happened recently,” Luis Clemente said in the video.
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory of about 3.2 million residents who are American citizens. Only Puerto Ricans who live in the U.S. can vote in the general election.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump have been trying to win over Puerto Rican communities in Pennsylvania and other states.