The Los Angeles Dodgers have accepted Donald Trump’s invitation to the White House to celebrate their World Series victory

The Los Angeles Dodgers have confirmed they will accept Donald Trump’s invitation to the White House to celebrate their 2024 World Series victory.

The team shared the announcement on social media Tuesday, continuing the long-standing tradition of championship teams meeting the president. Their visit is scheduled for April 7, followed by a trip to Capitol Hill the next day.

“The Dodgers look forward to visiting the White House and celebrating our title,” the team posted on X.

The invitation follows the Dodgers’ historic World Series win over the New York Yankees in October, where they staged the biggest comeback in baseball history to secure the title in Game 5.

There had been speculation about whether the team would attend, particularly since manager Dave Roberts previously suggested in a 2019 interview that he would decline such an invite. Trump also criticized Roberts publicly in 2018, but the Dodgers’ manager has now confirmed he plans to attend the White House visit next month.
Roberts clarified that the team did not have a formal discussion about the decision, according to ESPN.

“It’s certainly a huge honor to get the invitation to the White House,” Roberts said. “It allows us to celebrate our 2024 championship. To my understanding, every World Series champion gets that honor, so it’s a great honor for all of us.”

The Dodgers’ invitation to the White House also comes amid controversy surrounding franchise legend Jackie Robinson, who won a championship with the team in 1955 and served in the U.S. military during World War II.
A Department of Defense webpage detailing Jackie Robinson’s military service was temporarily taken down last week as part of an order to remove all diversity, equity, and inclusion-related content from Pentagon websites.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell later addressed the issue in a video posted on X, stating that some content had been mistakenly removed. “When content is either mistakenly removed – or if it is maliciously removed – we continue to work quickly to restore it,” he said. The page has since been reinstated.

Reacting to the situation, Roberts told reporters, per ESPN, “I think I’m happy that the page went back up. I have my strong opinions on DEI and all that stuff, but that’s another scrum.”

Meanwhile, Dodgers star Mookie Betts, who previously declined a White House invitation after winning the 2018 World Series with the Boston Red Sox, has not yet indicated whether he will accept this time.

President Joe Biden last hosted the Dodgers at the White House in 2021, reviving the tradition after a pause due to Covid-19.