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The Los Angeles Dodgers are ready for what is now becoming an annual trip to the White House.
After becoming the first team to win back-to-back Fall Classics since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000, the Dodgers will once again visit President Donald Trump in the nation’s capital.
The White House confirmed to PK Press Club Digital that the team will travel on July 23, a day off between the series in Philadelphia and New York.
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President Donald Trump, center, holds a baseball jersey alongside Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, left, and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter, right, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, U.S., Monday, April 7, 2025. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“President Trump is thrilled to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series Championship!” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers in a statement to PK Press Club Digital.
The California Post was first to report the news.
The Dodgers were crowned champions once again after mounting a Game 7 comeback against the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings in one of the wildest games of all time.
The visit won’t be easy for some: Shortly after winning the Fall Classic, an immigration rights group begged the team not to return.
“The Los Angeles Dodgers have always been more than a baseball team: they are part of the spirit of who we are as a city. The team represents our neighborhoods, our families, and our shared love for our diverse communities. But right now, our community, our city is under siege, we need them to stand with us, on the right side of history,” the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) wrote in an online petition.
“Call on the team to honor the unity, integrity and diversity that they themselves represent. They cannot remain silent while our families and neighbors face violence, detention and deportation. By visiting a president who has used his power to harm the most vulnerable, the team would be turning its back on the very people who fill the stadiums, wear the jerseys and give their hearts to this team. By encouraging the team to do this “We will show the White House that Los Angeles represents compassion, dignity and solidarity with its immigrant neighbors.
Reliever Brusdar Graterol, along with a few others, missed last year’s celebration, which celebrated the 2024 title. Graterol chose to stay in “my brown house.” Freddie Freeman was not present despite being on the injured list at the time, but several injured players like Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, Michael Kopech and Michael Grove were present.
Meanwhile, outfielder Mookie Betts decided to leave last year after opting out of the trip with the Boston Red Sox in 2019.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers speaks with President Donald Trump during a ceremony celebrating the Major League Baseball 2024 World Series champion team, in the East Room of the White House, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Washington, DC (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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“It’s not about me; I don’t want anything to be about me. It’s about the Dodgers. Because those boys were there for me,” Betts said, via the Los Angeles Times.
Betts said he regretted not making the trip in 2019, which manager Alex Cora and pitcher David Price also skipped, saying he thought he was a distraction. Cora recently admitted he took the plunge to meet with Trump because he wanted to prioritize his home country, Puerto Rico. When the Red Sox visited the White House in May 2019, Puerto Rico was still recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Maria in 2017, and Cora was unhappy with the federal government’s response.
The Dodgers visited former President Joe Biden in July 2021 to celebrate their 2020 World Series title.
Several major sports champions, including every NBA title winner, refused to visit the White House during Trump’s two terms. The Dodgers, Philadelphia Eagles, Florida Panthers, Ohio State football team, Indiana football team, LSU baseball team and Inter Miami have all visited the White House to celebrate their championships since Trump’s second term began in January 2025.
It remains to be seen whether the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Hurricanes will follow suit, but Knicks owner James Dolan said his team will pay him a visit. This would make them the first NBA team to visit Trump.
The Commissioner’s Trophy is seen as Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (left) greets U.S. President Donald Trump as he welcomes the 2024 World Series champions to the East Room of the White House April 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees with a 7-6 victory in Game 5. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Last year, the Florida Gators were the first college basketball team to visit Trump since the Baylor women’s team in 2019.
