The Los Angeles Dodgers have accepted President Donald Trump’s invitation to visit the White House on Monday, April 7. The team will also visit Capitol Hill on April 8.
Superstar Mookie Betts has recently given the decision some more thought as to joining in on the visit or not, as Betts has a history with not immediately accepting a visit to the Executive Mansion
The long-standing tradition of the MLB champion getting an invite to the White House has been around since the Washington Senators won the 1924 World Series and visited known baseball fan, President Calvin Coolidge.
In 2019, Betts and nine other players on the world champion Boston Red Sox elected to decline the invitation to the White House while President Trump was serving his first term. Team manager Alex Cora and various coaches also didn’t attend.
After the 2020 World Series, Betts chose to partake in the visit with his Dodgers and then-President Joe Biden in office after a COVID-19 delayed July 2021 trip.
As for the current invitation, the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett reported that the superstar shortstop has made a decision — but isn’t quite ready to announce it.
Asked Mookie Betts if has made a decision about participating or not in #Dodgers White House visit next week (he didn't go with Red Sox in 2019). He said he has thought about it but is not ready to announce his decision one way or the other yet.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said last month that he was looking forward to keeping the baseball tradition.
“It’s certainly a huge honor to get the invitation to the White House. It allows us to celebrate our 2024 championship. To my understanding, every World Series champion gets that honor,” Roberts said. “I respect the position. It’s the highest office in our country certainly, in the world. So I’m looking forward to it.”
The Dodgers posted on X last month about keeping the tradition and celebrating their title on the team’s trip to play the Washington Nationals next week.
In keeping with long-standing baseball tradition, President Trump has invited the 2024 World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House when they play in Washington D.C. on April 7. The Dodgers look forward to visiting the White House and celebrating our title.
