TORONTO, ONTARIO – OCTOBER 31: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on prior to game six of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center on October 31, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers earned a second consecutive World Series title after a stunning comeback victory in extra innings against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7. And one fan of the team is grabbing some attention with a congratulatory message.
“Congratulations to the L.A. Dodgers, a game won by incredible CHAMPIONS!!!” President Donald Trump posted on his social media network, Truth Social, early on Sunday morning. “A lesser group of men would never have been able to win that game, or game 6, for that matter. So many stars made it all happen. Also, congratulations to ownership. What a great job they have done. SEE YOU ALL AT THE WHITE HOUSE!!!”
Trump welcomed the Dodgers to the White House to celebrate their 2024 World Series championship in April. Despite some vocal concerns from fans at the time, who noted that Trump’s policies and rhetoric have been combative with the state of California, the team presented a united front by almost universally attending.
First baseman Freddie Freeman missed the visit as he was rehabbing an injury and relief pitcher Brusdal Graterol chose to protest it. But manager Dave Roberts called the visit an “honor” and shortstop Mookie Betts was notably in attendance after he skipped a similar visit during Trump’s first term when he was a member of the championship Boston Red Sox.
But since the Dodgers’ last visit to the White House, the Trump administration has alienated more Dodgers fans with its enforcement of immigration policies in the Los Angeles area. And the team seemed to take a new stance against the policies.
In June, the Dodgers denied federal immigration officials access to their stadium parking lots amid a crackdown throughout the region. And later that month, the team seemed to take a clear stance when it announced a $1 million donation to assist families that were impacted by raids from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Following Trump’s declaration that he would see the team at the White House again after their victory over the Blue Jays, that $1 million donation now seems to represent a crossroads for the team. A visit to celebrate with the president would seem, at least to some local fans, like a public endorsement of the administration and the recent ICE raids.
“This is a moment for the Dodgers to stand with the families whom masked agents are tearing apart,” Los Angeles community groups wrote in a letter to the team following the federal agents’ attempt to enter the stadium parking lots. “Children who may have sat in your seats enjoying a game now come home with no parents to receive them and no word of their whereabouts or well being other than reports of inhumane treatment in detention centers across California and the Southwest.”
The Dodgers opted to accept Trump’s previous invitation despite calls from fans that they protest it. But following a more direct confrontation between the administration and the team earlier this season, the Dodgers now seem to be at a true crossroads in their willingness to take a significant political stand.
Source link
