The Los Angeles Dodgers will indeed visit President Donald Trump at the White House.
The reigning World Series champions announced Tuesday they will accept the president’s invitation for an event on April 7, when the team will be in D.C. to play the Washington Nationals. The team will visit the Capitol the next day.
The Dodgers set themselves up for a White House visit with their World Series run last year, capped off with a five-game win in the Fall Classic over the New York Yankees, Trump’s preferred MLB team. There had been some question over whether they would actually make the trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., though, especially given the timing.
Before Tuesday, there had been no indication what the team’s plans were, despite April 7 being only two weeks away. By comparison, the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that did not visit Trump during his first presidency amid contentious circumstances, won their second Super Bowl on Feb. 9 and confirmed they were visiting on March 11.
In that time, Trump has feuded with local politicians and threatened to withhold federal aid for the wildfires that ravaged part of Los Angeles. His administration also drew heavy criticism over the deletion of an article about Jackie Robinson’s Army history, which was later restored, as part of its campaign against DEI policies.
While the Dodgers say they will visit the White House, not every player might make the trip. Dodgers star Mookie Betts skipped a visit to Trump’s White House after winning the World Series with the Boston Red Sox, while manager Dave Roberts said he wouldn’t go when asked a hypothetical in 2019. Trump has also been critical of Roberts’ decision-making in the past.
The Dodgers announced they would make the trip minutes before Roberts spoke with reporters before a spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday. He confirmed he would indeed make the trip, via Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times:
“I respect the position. It’s the highest office in our country certainly, in the world. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Roberts also addressed the matter of the Robinson article, saying he was happy it was restored and hinting at stronger opinions about the DEI matter:
“I’m happy they put the page back up. I have my strong opinions on DEI and all that stuff, but that’s another scrum.”
Per Open Secrets, both Dodgers owner principal owner Mark Walter and team president Stan Kasten have made donations to Democratic causes in the past, while Magic Johnson and Billie Jean King, both members of the ownership group, have publicly voiced opposition to Trump in the past.
The Dodgers won the 2020 World Series on Oct. 27, 2020, a week before Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the presidential election, and visited Biden the following July. They also accepted a call from Biden and vice president Kamala Harris shortly after their win in 2024.
