Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers' Mookie Betts Makes Final Decision on White House Visit

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By TJ French | Last updated Apr 4, 2025 9:30 PM ET

There has been a lot of controversy between the Los Angeles Dodgers players deciding whether or not they will visit President Donald Trump in the annual visitation for being the champion of MLB. Each year, every team that wins a championship in their professional sport is invited to the White House. The visit will be on Monday, April 7.

Mookie Betts has been one of those controversial players regarding the trip, because in 2019 with the Boston Red Sox, Betts opted to not visit the home of the President, which was also Trump in his first stint as Commander in Chief.

Per Bill Plunkett , Mookie Betts says he will visit the White House this go around, and states the reason is because he wants to be there for his teammates, who have been there for him during his tenure as a Dodger.

Betts also spoke a little bit about the 2019 decision to not go and said he regrets the decision because he made it about himself, and that he is a different person now.

The controversy stems from a lot of fans who call Los Angeles home, and in a city with a majority of democrats, it's understood why some of them feel so angry towards the Dodgers for accepting the visit request.

The tradition of the Fall Classic champions visiting the White House following the season they reign supreme in MLB has been around for nearly 100 years, but with more polarization than ever in today's politics, not every player/organization respects the visit like they once did.

Betts's teammate Shohei Ohtani has already indicated that he will also visit the newly elected President Trump.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: