Donald Trump sent a message loud and clear to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the day after Pete Rose died ... urging the org. to put the ex-Reds star in "now," "before his funeral!"
The former prez issued the demand during J.D. Vance's debate with Tim Walz on Tuesday night ... taking a brief break from watching his running mate to heap some serious praise on the baseball legend.
"The GREAT Pete Rose just died," he said. "He was one of the most magnificent baseball players ever to play the game. He paid the price! Major League Baseball should have allowed him into the Hall of Fame many years ago."
Rose, of course, was well on his way to getting a Cooperstown plaque ... but in 1989, he was banned from the sport after the MLB determined he bet on games while managing the Reds.
Pete denied the allegations for years, but ultimately admitted to it in the mid-2000s.
Trump clearly believes now that he's has passed ... it's time for all the punishments to be lifted.
So far, though, the HOF doesn't appear to be budging.
Rose -- who died Monday from heart disease -- played 24 years in the MLB ... and made 17 All-Star teams. His 4,256 career hits still remain to this day the most in the history of the sport.