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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 touch about a visit and the plan to attend. A date has not yet been set.
There were calls for the team to forego the traditional White House celebration due to ongoing tension with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement across the country.
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, United States President Donald Trump, and Los Angeles Dodgers owner and president 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 on 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 that he intends to go to the White House.
“I’m going to continue trying 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 WIN
The Dodgers, winners of back-to-back World Series after a thrilling seven-game tussle with the Blue Jays, attended their White House ceremony at their recent championships. 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.
Almost the entire Dodgers roster was with Roberts in the White House last year despite fan pushback. However, the players had the same views as Roberts: It’s a tradition.
“It’s an incredible honor to be able to go see the White House, regardless of who’s in office,” Clayton Kershaw said, according to the New York Post. “We went in 2021. We went this time. I know there’s been a lot of talk about should the Dodgers go? All these 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. It was a great honor for me to be able to go today.”
There were some, like Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol, who 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 in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center. (Nick Turchiaro/Image Images)
After the Dodgers defended their title in Toronto, the National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLON), an immigrant rights group, wrote an online petition asking the Dodgers not to attend the White House if a 2026 invitation comes.
“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 your support., on the right side of history,” the petition said.
“Ask the team to honor the unity, integrity and diversity that they 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 the right thing, we will show the White House that Los Angeles represents compassion, dignity and solidarity with their immigrant neighbors.
The Dodgers have had to deal with ICE in the past, announcing in June 2025 that they refused ICE agents entry to their stadium grounds, but ICE said that was “untrue” since they were “never there.”
Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw holds the trophy as the Dodgers celebrate their victory in Game 7 of baseball’s World Series 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 Pak Gazette Digital at the time that “ICE was never at Dodger Stadium and therefore never attempted to gain access.” In a statement of its own after ICE’s denial, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that “CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly” and that it “had nothing to do with the Dodgers.”
The Dodgers are expected to once again be the favorites to win the World Series during the 2026 MLB season, especially after big names like All-Star closer Edwin Diaz and All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker are also included.
