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The Los Angeles Dodgers will accept an invitation to the White House for a ceremony celebrating their 2025 World Series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
A White House official told the New York Post that the team had been in contact about a visit and plans to attend. No date has yet been set.
Some have asked the team to forgo the traditional White House celebration because of ongoing tensions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement across the country.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, U.S. President Donald Trump and Los Angeles Dodgers owner and chairman Mark Walter pose with a jersey presented to Trump as he hosts the 2024 World Series champions in the East Room of the White House April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Dodgers team president Stan Kasten also said last weekend, “I don’t have any news for you on that,” regarding a visit to the White House, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the outlet he plans to visit the White House.
“I’m going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements because I’m not a politician.”
IMMIGRATION RIGHTS GROUP ASKS DODGERS TO SKIP WHITE HOUSE VISIT AFTER WORLD SERIES VICTORY
The Dodgers, back-to-back World Series winners after a thrilling seven-game contest against the Blue Jays, attended the ceremony at the White House during their recent championship run. The first was with President Joe Biden in 2021, and the team traveled to the nation’s capital for a meeting with President Donald Trump last April.
Nearly the entire Dodgers roster was with Roberts in the White House last year despite fan misgivings. However, the players had the same views as Roberts: it’s a tradition.
“The White House is an incredible honor to be able to go and see it, whoever is in power,” Clayton Kershaw said, according to the New York Post. “We went there in 2021. We went there this time. I know there’s been a lot of talk about should the Dodgers go? All those things. But at the end of the day, going to the White House, seeing the Oval Office, meeting the President of the United States, those are things you can’t lose sight of, no matter what you believe. I was very honored to be able to go there today.”
Some, like Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol, declined the invitation to stay in “my brown house.”
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith reacts after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Centre. (Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images)
After the Dodgers defended their title in Toronto, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), an immigration rights group, wrote an online petition imploring the Dodgers not to travel to the White House if presented with an invitation for 2026.
“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 petition reads.
“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.
The Dodgers have had to deal with ICE in the past, announcing in June 2025 that they had refused ICE agents entry to their stadium grounds, but ICE said that was “false” since they were “never there.”
Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers holds the trophy as the Dodgers celebrate their victory in Game 7 of the World Series of Baseball against the Toronto Blue Jays, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The team said agents had “requested permission to access the parking lots,” but an ICE spokesperson said in an email to PK Press Club Digital at the time that “ICE has never been to Dodgers Stadium and therefore has never attempted to gain access.” In a personal statement after ICE’s denial, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said “CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly” and that it “had nothing to do with the Dodgers.”
The Dodgers are once again expected to be the favorites to win the World Series during the 2026 MLB season, especially after big names including All-Star closer Edwin Diaz and All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker.
