Former New York Yankees slugger A-Rod, who Trump once called a ‘druggie’ and a ‘joke,’ is part of the group buying the former president’s DC hotel

• Former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez is part of a group of investors looking to buy Trump’s DC hotel.
• Rodriguez is part of the $375 million deal for the property, which will see it rebranded.
• Trump has, however, openly expressed his dislike for the former Yankees slugger, calling him a “druggie.”

Former New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez — better known as A-Rod — has been revealed to be part of a group of investors looking to buy over the lease to former President Donald Trump’s Washington DC hotel.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Associated Press reported on Monday that Rodriguez, who Trump has publicly mocked on numerous occasions, is part of the $375 million deal for the Trump International Hotel in DC. The sources did not reveal the size of Rodriguez’s stake in the deal, per the AP.

According to the AP, should the deal go through, Rodriguez might find himself helping Trump recoup some $73 million in losses from the hotel and possibly even turn a profit.

Rodriguez is one of the partners in a Miami-based fund led by investment management firm CGI Merchant Group that is looking to buy over the rights to lease the property — a 263-room hotel a stone’s throw from the White House, the AP reported. The Trump family currently owns the lease for the Trump hotel in DC, while the hotel building is owned by the federal government, per The Wall Street Journal.

Representatives for Rodriguez and The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

The beef between Trump and Rodriguez dates back to 2012 when Trump said in an interview that he would have fired Rodriguez, who had earlier admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs while playing with the Texas Rangers. Speaking as a Yankees fan, Trump called Rodriguez a “liability” to the team at the time.

Trump also tweeted more than 60 times about Rodriguez between 2012 and 2016, sometimes calling the athlete a “joke” and a “druggie,” according to Yahoo News. In his tweets, Trump repeatedly referred to a doping scandal in 2014 that resulted in Rodriguez being banned for 162 games and the playoffs. 

Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio said the pending deal is proof of Trump’s priorities. 

“This is just more proof that the only thing that matters to Trump is money,” D’Antonio told the AP. “If A-Rod can bail out Trump and get him out of a sticky situation and help him turn a profit, he’s going to take that deal. He’d take it from Hillary Clinton.”