The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to continue one of baseball’s longest-standing traditions: visiting the White House to celebrate a World Series title. Despite some pushback from fans urging the team to skip the trip, a league source confirmed the Dodgers plan to attend the ceremony in recognition of their back-to-back championships.
While no official date has been set and the team hasn’t formally accepted the invitation, a White House official told the California Post that the visit is in the works. President Donald J.
Trump extended the invitation shortly after the Dodgers clinched their second consecutive title, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in a seven-game classic. That win made the Dodgers the first team in 25 years to repeat as World Series champions-a feat that deserves celebration by any measure.
The Dodgers have remained tight-lipped publicly. Team president Stan Kasten said over the weekend that there’s “nothing yet to announce” regarding the visit.
But if recent history is any indicator, the team is likely to follow through. The Dodgers visited the White House in 2021 with President Joe Biden and again last April under Trump’s presidency.
That 2025 visit stirred controversy, with critics on social media and beyond questioning the decision to attend. But the organization pointed to tradition, emphasizing that the White House visit is about honoring a team achievement, not making a political statement. Every member of the 2024 championship roster who was part of the traveling party showed up.
Notably, that included Mookie Betts-who had previously skipped a White House visit in 2019 when Trump was in office and he was with the Red Sox-and Kiké Hernández, who publicly criticized Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria in 2017. Their presence this time around sent a clear message: this was about baseball.
“It’s not a political stance that I’m taking,” Betts explained last April. “I know no matter what I say, what I do, people are going to take it as political, but that’s definitely not what it is. This is about an accomplishment that the Dodgers were able to accomplish last year.”
Manager Dave Roberts echoed that sentiment over the weekend, telling the Los Angeles Times he’d attend if the team accepts the invitation.
“I’ve never tried to be political,” Roberts said. “For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”
Still, the Dodgers’ relationship with the broader political landscape hasn’t been without friction. Last year’s visit came just before the team found itself pulled into the national conversation around immigration enforcement.
In June, the Dodgers said federal agents attempted to access the stadium’s parking lots. The team denied them entry and later pledged $1 million to support families affected by immigration raids in the city.
For the Dodgers, the White House visit remains a symbolic moment-one that recognizes the grind of a 162-game season, the pressure of October, and the rare achievement of going back-to-back in a league built for parity. Whether or not fans agree with the optics, the players and staff seem united in their view: this is about honoring the game, the journey, and the championship banner that now hangs in Chavez Ravine.