Dodgers visit Trump at White House to celebrate

WASHINGTON — The solar beat down on the assembled Dodgers gamers, coaches and employees members as they waited in silence for the real emcee of the event, President Trump, to emerge from the building behind them.

In entrance stood rows of chairs — with four-inch yellow cushions on them, as Trump made sure to level out in his closing remarks — and onlookers who had donned blue Dodgers snapbacks.

In fact, the new-look Rose Garden, slabs of white stone changing grass, turned a character of its own, the point of interest for the first two minutes of Trump’s speech recognizing the 2025 World Series champions.

“It was always wet,” Trump said after making his grand entrance more than 10 minutes after the Dodgers had taken their place in entrance of the group. “You know, the White House is built on a wetland. … And I decided to do something about it. And this has become an incredible place for dining and for news conferences and for events like this.”

This event was the Dodgers’ second White House visit in as many years, in a new venue. It offered new materials, and some lively contributors, for the Trump show Thursday afternoon.

As he retold the winding story of the Dodgers’ World Series for virtually 20 minutes, Trump performed to not only the viewers, but the gamers behind him, shaking their fingers when they got here up in his speech, and the 2 males flanking him, Dodgers chairman Mark Walter and supervisor Dave Roberts.

“This was truly a great World Series, right?” Trump said, turning to his proper.

“Maybe the best in history,” Roberts said.

Trump took detours from his written speech to wax poetic about Babe Ruth, and harp on how intently he’d watched the postseason, detailing his own response to Shohei Ohtani’s 10-strikeout, three-homer sport in the NLCS, and catcher Will Smith’s foot re-tapping the plate in Game 7 of the World Series.

“I was having a little bet with the prime minister of Canada,” Trump said. ”I had a little guess. I used to be not feeling so good for a little while.”

Roberts quipped: “Neither were we.”

But even Trump, a New Yorker, appeared to predict a three-peat.

“This is really a special team,” Trump said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised to see them back again.”

This journey got here with scheduling problems for the back-to-back World Series champions.

Dodgers chairman Mark Walter presents a 2025 World Series ring to President Trump in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday.

(Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images)

The timing for a visit didn’t work out when the Dodgers had been in city to play the Nationals in April for a day-game laden collection. So, they used their single off day on a three-city East Coast highway journey to make a pit stop in Washington, wedging the visit between video games against the Phillies and Mets.

The determination to visit the White House again raised debate among some Dodgers followers, who argue Trump’s anti-immigration insurance policies have harmed many of the group’s supporters. But Roberts has frequently tried to downplay the political messaging related with the visit.

“I hope when you watch our guys play, you can be proud and say these guys do things the right way,” Roberts said in his succinct speech. “Their names are everywhere on social media, in the news. But when it comes to winning 11 games in October or 13 last year, these guys all come together unselfishly.

“And you never know what moment is going to present itself, but we have all these guys here that are ready when called upon. So we’re very fortunate to have these guys, and hopefully we got more Dodger fans. So thank you very much, Mr. President.”

Retired Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw made the journey to be part of the well-represented current group. Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who told reporters that he most popular to spend the day with his household, and reliever Edgardo Henriquez had been the only 2025 Dodgers at present on the lively roster who didn’t attend.

Roberts and World Series heroes Miguel Rojas and Will Klein also visited with senators on Capitol Hill Thursday morning.

President Trump shakes fingers with Miguel Rojas in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday.

(Alex Wong / Getty Images)

As invested as Trump was in the 2025 World Series, he totally acknowledged some gaps in data about the 2026 season.

“I’ve been a little busy with Iran and some other things,” he said. “If I know too much, you wouldn’t be happy. I wouldn’t be doing a good job if I know too much.”

A playful back-and-forth with Kershaw urged that Trump hasn’t been following the Dodgers’ 2026 common season all that intently.

“I watched him beat a lot of our teams that were supposed to do well,” Trump said. “They didn’t do too well against him, and he’s still pitching well, I bet, right?”

Gently corrected by Roberts, Trump said: “You could pitch right now, if they needed you, you’d be out there, right?”

“No, sir,” Kershaw said to laughs.

“And he’s smart!” Trump said.

Trump also appeared to combine up Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto when he detailed Yamamoto’s World Series heroics while studying from his notes and then advert libbed, “And he hit real well, too.”

After the speeches, Walter introduced the president with a personalised World Series ring and Dodgers jersey.

Walter, too, has been in the news not too long ago. The visit falls days after Bloomberg reported that two insurance coverage corporations managed by Walter, as effectively as the Guggenheim Partners, where Walter is chief government, are being investigated by federal prosecutors for potential financial improprieties.

No costs have been filed. Representatives from the guardian company of the insurance coverage companies as effectively as from TWC Global — the Walter business empire that controls his sporting investments, including the Dodgers and Lakers — have told reporters they’re cooperating with the investigation.

“Do I have to report this?” Trump joked as he examined the World Series ring — presidents have to disclose costly items. “I don’t want to report this.”

Neither Trump nor the Dodgers took questions, as was the case last 12 months. Trump invited the group to the Oval Office, where he introduced them with Trump problem cash.

But before leaving the stage, the president segued back into renovations to the White House grounds. The show had come full circle.