Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts said he is unlikely to take part in the team’s upcoming trip to the White House, but was adamant his decision had nothing to do with politics.
Instead, Betts told The California Post on Saturday that he is planning to spend that day –– a July 23 off day during the Dodgers’ road trip to New York and Philadelphia –– with his family after the recent birth of his third child earlier this year.
“I’m not trying to make this a whole big deal,” Betts said. “We just had a baby. You don’t get many days off. They’re coming [on the road trip]. And just want to hang out with the fam. That’s really kind of it. But people are gonna make it a whole bunch of other stuff.”
Indeed, as a four-time World Series champion, Betts’ previous decisions about whether or not to go to the White House have garnered attention.
In 2019, Betts was one of several members of the Boston Red Sox who declined to participate in the celebration during President Trump’s first term, though later said he regretted that choice as he felt it distracted from the team.
With the Dodgers, Betts has been part of both recent White House visits with President Biden in 2021 and Trump last April.
Initially, Betts was non-committal about attending last year, but ultimately elected to go and be there with all of his teammates.
“This is not about me. This is not about politics,” Betts said then. “This is about the Dodgers. It’s about my loyalty to these boys, this clubhouse. And that’s all it is for me.”
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This year, Betts said his calculus was driven by his desire to spend time with his family. In April, he and his wife, Brianna, welcomed their second daughter, Khari, to become a family of five.
“If I do [go], people are gonna hate me. If I don’t, people are gonna hate me,” he said. “So instead of trying to make everyone else happy, I’m gonna think about myself and my family.”
Betts reiterated that his thinking was not politically motivated, but acknowledged “people are gonna try to drag me into politics, just because I am who I am.”
“That’s just the cards I’m dealt,” he said. “So it is what it is.”
