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Alden Gonzalez
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they accepted an invitation to the White House to celebrate their World Series title.
The team will make the trip on April 7, a Monday, before the first of a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. Members of the Dodgers will also visit Capitol Hill on April 8, the team announced.
“It wasn’t a formal conversation that we had as a ballclub,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday’s exhibition game against the Los Angeles Angels. “It’s certainly a huge honor to get the invitation to the White House. 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’ White House visit is especially notable in the wake of a controversy surrounding a story highlighting Jackie Robinson’s military service. The story was temporarily deleted from the Department of Defense’s website last week as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to purge references to diversity, equity and inclusion through a “digital content refresh.”
Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II, then broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier when he made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. A statue in his honor graces Dodger Stadium’s center-field plaza. Though it does not make any references to DEI, the story on Robinson’s service was among a swath scrubbed from government websites in recent days.
Roberts, who has frequently spoken about the importance of major league teams deploying more diverse coaching and front office staffs, said he was unaware of what took place with the Robinson story. After being informed by a reporter, he said: “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.”
In 2019, near the end of Trump’s first presidency, Roberts indicated as part of a Los Angeles Times profile that he would not visit the White House if the Dodgers hoisted the World Series trophy later that year. Reminded of that Tuesday, Roberts smirked and said, “Did I?”
“I’m going,” he added. “I respect the position. It’s the highest office in our country, certainly in the world, so, looking forward to it.”
The Dodgers visited the White House under Joe Biden’s presidency on the heels of securing a championship at the end of the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Four years later, on Oct. 30, 2024, they clinched their first full-season title since 1988 by defeating the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series.
Trump was elected president about a week after. About two months later, he feuded with local politicians and California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the wake of wildfires that ravaged parts of L.A., at one point threatening to withhold federal aid over disagreements about the region’s water management. The Trump administration eventually passed an executive order aimed at addressing water shortages and regulatory hurdles hindering disaster response efforts in Southern California.
Dodgers chairman Mark Walter and part-owner Earvin “Magic” Johnson were selected by Newsom to lead an initiative aimed at supporting wildfire recovery and rebuilding efforts in L.A., committing up to $100 million to fund the philanthropic effort. Johnson has openly spoken out against Trump in recent years, but the Dodgers, through their X account, said Tuesday that they “look forward to visiting the White House and celebrating our title.”
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