Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta said he will not go with the team to visit President Obama on Monday at the White House. (Getty)
Instead of waiting for President-elect Donald Trump to take office to visit the White House, the Chicago Cubs will instead use one of their last opportunities to celebrate their 2016 World Series championship with President Barack Obama on January 16.
The team will celebrate with Obama at 1 p.m. Eastern and a live stream is available for the meeting.
However, prior to the meeting, one popular Cub in particular said he won’t be meeting Obama. Jake Arrieta said he won’t make the White House trip with the team, citing family reasons. He told ESPN that the decision has “nothing to do with politics.” He said that he would like to be on the trip to Washington D.C. with his teammates, but he’s “got some other things to handle.”
Shortly after the November 8, 2016 election in which Trump was elected, Arrieta sent out a tweet saying that it’s “Time for Hollywood to pony up and head for the border.” He continued in the interview with ESPN that he was just calling out those celebrities who said they would move out of the country if Trump was the victor.
People view us as athletes as being Republican and only caring about lower taxes, which isn’t the case. If paying higher taxes is going to benefit the majority of society, I’m fine with that. … I’ll be open and honest. I just want somebody to lead our country and do a good job. Whether it’s Obama, whether it’s Trump or Hillary, I just want to see somebody do a good job for the benefit of everybody.
Although Arrieta won’t be making the trek to the White House, the roster will be joined by a Cubs legend, Billy Williams. Williams, a Hall of Famer, said he looks forward to meeting Obama in his last days in office, especially on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
It will be the first White House appearance for second baseman Ben Zobrist, who missed the Kansas City Royal’s World Series visit with Obama in 2016. Zobrist was named the World Series MVP for his stellar play in the series against the Cleveland Indians.
The 2016 MLB Kris Bryant said he’s very much looking forward to meeting Obama before he leaves office. During the season, Bryant had a .292 batting average with 102 RBIs, a .554 slugging percentage and 176 total hits.
And even though he’s recently been acquired by the San Diego Padres, pitcher Trevor Cahill will also make the trip with the Cubs.
The full list of Cubs players and staff that will attend the White House visit is currently unknown, however it appears a majority of the roster will make the trip.
Stick here for continued updates once they become available.
