Dave Roberts Gives Blunt Response on Potential 2026 White House Visit
The Dodgers’ skipper made his position clear when discussing the team’s potential White House trip.
LOS ANGELES, CA—Over the weekend, 30 thousand fans of the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers gathered at Dodger Stadium for the organization's annual DodgerFest, a moment where both sides get together and unofficially begin the 2026 season.
However, while the sentiment from coaches, players, and fans was on the upcoming 2026 season, with their eyes on a rare three-peat, one topic that is likely to cause some stir amongst the fanbase in the coming months is a potential trip to the White House in April to put the finishing touches on their 2025 World Series celebration.
To many fans’ dismay, the team opted to visit the White House last spring in President Trump’s first year of his recently elected 4-year term, and at the focal point was Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, and that is the case yet again.
In an interview with Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Roberts reiterated his stance from last season, that he’s just a baseball manager and not a politician, and shared that he expects to be there when the team visits Washington, D.C. in April.
“For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager,” Roberts told me (Bill Shaikin) Saturday at the Dodgers’ fan festival. “That’s my job.
“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country. For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. ... For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”
Still, much like last year, multiple groups and organizations have pleaded with the Dodgers not to go with the status quo and decline an invitation to the Trump-appointed White House, including the National Day Laborer Organization Network, in an Instagram post.
"Los Angeles is a city built by immigrants, working families, and dreamers. We celebrate our champions, but we also stand for justice, dignity, and love for our community," the organization posted, calling on the Dodgers to decline President Trump’s latest invitation. “Dodgers, stay with us. Stand with the city that has always stood with you.”
While the take may be controversial, the trip ultimately comes down to a photo op to cap off the celebrations of a championship season, nothing more, nothing less.
The Dodgers’ decision to visit the White House is not a political statement, regardless of what some people think. It’s not “bending the knee,” as Dylan Hernández suggests in last year’s LA Times article on the subject. Rather, it’s realizing a lifelong dream for many players, most of whom have dedicated years of hard work since childhood to reach this milestone. They shouldn’t be forced to miss a once-in-a-lifetime celebration due to others’ political displeasure.
Good article. Great response from Doc.
Well, I'm disappointed. I am 100% opposed to the Dodgers going to visit the felon.