Dodgers visit Trump at White House to celebrate 2025 World Series title

WASHINGTON — Declaring themselves non-combatants on the ideological battleground even a traditional photo op becomes these days, the Dodgers enjoyed another perk of their back-to-back championships on Thursday afternoon.

The 2025 World Series team visited the White House, where President Donald Trump praised them as “really a special team … special winners” who used a combination of luck and talent to win the dramatic, seven-game World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays last fall – “a helluva series,” he said.

President Trump also made a similar prediction to the one he made when the 2024 championship team visited the White House in April 2025.

“They’re champions and just unbelievable,” President Trump said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised to see them back again.”

Trump said he didn’t realize the Dodgers do in fact have the best record in MLB to this point until Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told him before the event.

“I’ve been a little busy with Iran and some other things,” the President said, one of few references he made to current events during his remarks. Instead, he spent a long time comparing Shohei Ohtani – who he praised for his “movie star looks” during last year’s visit – to Babe Ruth and recounting Ruth’s trade to the New York Yankees (getting only the broad outlines correct).

“He’s amazing,” Trump said, recounting Ohtani’s historic three-home run, 10-strikeout two-way performance in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

“In fact, I was watching the game and before the announcer said it, I said to myself, ‘That might be the greatest game ever played.’”

Dodgers principal owner Mark Walter presented Trump with a personalized No. 47 jersey just as the team did last year. But this time Walter also gave Trump his own World Series ring, inscribed with the president’s name.

“That looks good – do I have to report this?” Trump said, slipping the ring into his pocket before inviting the players to tour the Oval Office after the ceremony as he did in 2025.

President Trump introduced several Cabinet members, congressmen and congresswomen who were in the audience at the event.

But there was not perfect attendance on the stage for this year’s ceremony, held outdoors in President Trump’s remodeled Rose Garden.

Shortstop Mookie Betts did not attend. Utility player Kiké Hernandez stayed with Triple-A Oklahoma City, continuing his minor-league rehabilitation assignment. Injured catcher Will Smith and injured pitchers Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Treinen were not there. Neither was reliever Edgardo Henriquez, some members of the coaching staff and neither President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman nor General Manager Brandon Gomes.

Team president and CEO Stan Kasten was there. So was Lon Rosen, formerly the Dodgers executive vice president and chief marketing officer and now the president of business operations for the Lakers, recently purchased by Walter and Guggenheim Partners.

Also absent from the event were the members of the Japanese media who cover the Dodgers and their trio of Japanese players – Ohtani and pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki – on a daily basis. Citing “space limitations,” the White House Press Office did not credential any of them to attend this year’s event (though several were allowed into a crowded East Room for last year’s event).

But retiree Clayton Kershaw made the trip, joining his 2025 teammates on the stage. Referencing Kershaw’s appearance in the 18-inning Game 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays, President Trump at first seemed unaware that the three-time Cy Young Award winner had retired following the 2025 season before Roberts let him know Kershaw was a full-time family man now.

“You could pitch right now if they needed you,” President Trump said. “You’d be out there, right?’

Stepping forward to shake Trump’s hand, Kershaw shook his head and said, “No,” prompting laughter from his teammates.

A year ago, Kershaw spoke on behalf of the 2024 team during the event at the White House. This time, Walter and Roberts stepped forward.

“I just want to say we’re very grateful to be here,” Roberts said. “You said the term, ‘Winners’ many times and this group of men – and some men that aren’t here that were part of the ’25 World Series championship – were big parts of this.

“We did something that hasn’t been done in (almost) 30 years, going back-to-back as World Series champions. … I hope when you watch our guys play, you can be proud and say these guys do things the right way.”

Earlier in the day, Roberts, Will Klein and Miguel Rojas were hosted at Capitol Hill by California’s two U.S. Senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla.

“Winning back-to-back championships is an extraordinary accomplishment, and it reflects the talent, determination and character of everyone in the organization,” Walter said during his remarks at the White House. “Thank you for welcoming us today, Mr. President. We’re proud of that team and what it has achieved, and we hope to be back here again next year.”

Earlier this week, it was reported that several companies controlled by Walter, including Guggenheim Partners are being investigated by federal prosecutors in New York and the Securities Exchange Commission for financial improprieties. No charges have been filed.

Trump made no reference to that but compared Walter to legendary Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, and called the Dodgers “one of the great brands anywhere in the world.”

This year’s White House trip was trickier to schedule. The timing for a visit didn’t work out when the Dodgers were in town to play the Nationals in April for a series of day games. So, they used their only off day during a nine-game East Coast trip to make a quick trip to Washington, wedging the visit between games against the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.