The Los Angeles Dodgers visited the White House on Thursday to celebrate their 2025 World Series title with President Donald Trump, an event attended by Shohei Ohtani and most of the roster despite some fan backlash.
The team presented Trump with a custom white No. 47 Dodgers jersey during a ceremony in the Rose Garden, where they also displayed their Commissioner's Trophies.
"I'm thrilled to say welcome back to the White House," Trump said during the ceremony. "And maybe we'll see you again next year, I hope."
Mookie Betts was absent from the visit to spend time with his family. Kike Hernandez missed the event because he is on the injured list and not traveling with the team during their current road trip.
Trump, in his remarks, commented on the renovated Rose Garden, stating, "This is really the new Rose Garden. How beautiful this is. This used to be grass. And it was always wet. The White House is built on a wetland."
He added, "We had a lot of very upset women who would stand there in high heels. And they'd go down like quicksand. I decided to do something about it. This has become an incredible area for dining, and news conferences. This is the first time we've ever used the new Rose Garden. You think Biden would do this? I don't think so."
Front-office leadership present included owner Mark Walter, team president Stan Kasten, and executive vice president Lon Rosen. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes remained behind to concentrate on roster strategy ahead of MLB's trade deadline.
Earlier in the day, manager Dave Roberts, infielder Miguel Rojas, and reliever Will Klein visited the Capitol building to meet with lawmakers.
The Dodgers traveled to Washington on Wednesday night after a series against the Philadelphia Phillies and were scheduled to travel to New York for a weekend series against the Mets.