WASHINGTON — With portraits of George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt adorning the walls, and grand golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the Dodgers received a champion’s welcome in the East Room of the White House on Monday morning, applauded by a packed crowd awaiting their arrival for their 2024 World Series celebration.
Then, once they were all in place on a stage at the front of the room, President Trump entered to personally congratulate them on last season’s title.
“Legendary season,” Trump said, with Dodgers players, coaches, executives and owner Mark Walter standing around him.
“Over the course of this amazing season, the members of this team gave us some of the most incredible performances ever seen on the baseball diamond.”
When the Dodgers announced last month they would visit Trump’s White House this week, while in town for a road series against the Washington Nationals, it triggered an avalanche of reactions from fans and others around the baseball world.
Three months into his second term in office, Trump remains a polarizing figure — especially in Los Angeles, where Kamala Harris received more than twice as many votes as he did among L.A. county voters in the 2024 election.
But, the Dodgers cited the trip as nothing more than upholding tradition, despite pressure from some factions of their fan base to decline the invitation.
“We’re very pleased,” Walter said Monday, “to participate in the tradition of bringing champions to the White House.”
Every returning member of the 2024 team on this week’s road trip participated in the visit; including manager Dave Roberts (who said in 2019 he wouldn’t visit the White House if the Dodgers won a World Series during Trump’s first term) and shortstop Mookie Betts (who declined to visit the White House with the Boston Red Sox while Trump was first in office in 2019).
The only notable absence was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who remained in Los Angeles this week to nurse an ankle injury that landed him on the injured list.
After Trump made his entrance and delivered general opening remarks — in which he touted the falling price of eggs, and declined to acknowledge California Democratic senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, both present for the event, by name — he then spent 10 minutes lauding the Dodgers’ 2024 accomplishments
The praise started with Roberts, who was once the target of social media criticisms from Trump during the 2018 World Series, but was told by the President on Monday that he is “one of the greatest managers, really, ever to wear the Dodger blue.”
Then, Trump listed off several of Shohei Ohtani’s accomplishments from his unprecedented 50-homer, 50-steal performance last season, before joking that the reigning National League MVP “looks like a movie star.”
Trump also highlighted the contributions of Betts, Max Muncy, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández and Clayton Kershaw — who also took the mic to give remarks, and presented Trump with a custom Dodgers jersey bearing his name.
“This is an incredible honor for me to stand here today representing the Los Angeles Dodgers and this group of staff and players standing behind me today,” said Kershaw, who was one of several other players on the injured list who flew to Washington to join the team for the event. “The 2024 Los angeles Dodgers season is one that will go down in the history books, always holding a special place in my heart and those with me, as well as the millions of Dodger fans around the world.”
Before taking the team back for a tour of the Oval Office, Trump also offered a prediction about the Dodgers’ chances of repeating as champions in 2025.
“After seeing how successful you’ve begun this season, I can tell you that you can plan on being back here,” Trump said. “I hope you’re going to be back here next year.”
The post Dodgers celebrated at White House for 2024 World Series title by Trump appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
