WASHINGTON — The sun beat down on the assembled Dodgers players, coaches and staff members as they waited in silence for the real emcee of the event, President Trump, to emerge from the building behind them.

In front stood rows of chairs — with four-inch yellow cushions on them, as Trump made sure to point out in his closing remarks — and onlookers who had donned blue Dodgers snapbacks.

In fact, the new-look Rose Garden, slabs of white stone replacing grass, became a character of its own, the focal point for the first two minutes of Trump’s speech recognizing the 2025 World Series champions.

“It was always wet,” Trump said after making his grand entrance more than 10 minutes after the Dodgers had taken their place in front of the crowd. “You know, the White House is built on a wetland. … And I decided to do something about it. And this has become an incredible place for dining and for news conferences and for events like this.”

This event was the Dodgers’ second White House visit in as many years, in a new venue. It provided new material, and some active participants, for the Trump show Thursday afternoon.

As he retold the winding story of the Dodgers’ World Series for almost 20 minutes, Trump played to not only the audience, but the players behind him, shaking their hands when they came up in his speech, and the two men flanking him, Dodgers chairman Mark Walter and manager Dave Roberts.

“This was truly a great World Series, right?” Trump said, turning to his right.

“Maybe the best in history,” Roberts said.

Trump took detours from his written speech to wax poetic about Babe Ruth, and harp on how closely he’d watched the postseason, detailing his own reaction to Shohei Ohtani’s 10-strikeout, three-homer game in the NLCS, and catcher Will Smith’s foot re-tapping the plate in Game 7 of the World Series.

“I was having a little bet with the prime minister of Canada,” Trump said. ”I had a little bet. I was not feeling so good for a little while.”

Roberts quipped: “Neither were we.”

But even Trump, a New Yorker, seemed to predict a three-peat.

“This is really a special team,” Trump said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised to see them back again.”

This trip came with scheduling complications for the back-to-back World Series champions.

The timing for a visit didn’t work out when the Dodgers were in town to play the Nationals in April for a day-game laden series. So, they used their single off day on a three-city East Coast road trip to make a pit stop in Washington, wedging the visit between games against the Phillies and Mets.

The decision to visit the White House again raised debate among some Dodgers fans, who argue Trump’s anti-immigration policies have harmed many of the team’s supporters. But Roberts has continually tried to downplay the political messaging associated with the visit.

“I hope when you watch our guys play, you can be proud and say these guys do things the right way,” Roberts said in his succinct speech. “Their names are everywhere on social media, in the news. But when it comes to winning 11 games in October or 13 last year, these guys all come together unselfishly.

“And you never know what moment is going to present itself, but we have all these guys here that are ready when called upon. So we’re very fortunate to have these guys, and hopefully we got more Dodger fans. So thank you very much, Mr. President.”

Retired Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw made the trip to join the well-represented current team. Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who told reporters that he preferred to spend the day with his family, and reliever Edgardo Henriquez were the only 2025 Dodgers currently on the active roster who did not attend.

Roberts and World Series heroes Miguel Rojas and Will Klein also visited with senators on Capitol Hill Thursday morning.

As invested as Trump was in the 2025 World Series, he fully acknowledged some gaps in knowledge about the 2026 season.

“I’ve been a little busy with Iran and some other things,” he said. “If I know too much, you wouldn’t be happy. I wouldn’t be doing a good job if I know too much.”

A playful back-and-forth with Kershaw suggested that Trump hasn’t been following the Dodgers’ 2026 regular season all that closely.

“I watched him beat a lot of our teams that were supposed to do well,” Trump said. “They didn’t do too well against him, and he’s still pitching well, I bet, right?”

Gently corrected by Roberts, Trump said: “You could pitch right now, if they needed you, you’d be out there, right?”

“No, sir,” Kershaw said to laughs.

“And he’s smart!” Trump said.

Trump also appeared to mix up Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto when he detailed Yamamoto’s World Series heroics while reading from his notes and then ad libbed, “And he hit real well, too.”

After the speeches, Walter presented the president with a personalized World Series ring and Dodgers jersey.

Walter, too, has been in the news recently. The visit falls days after Bloomberg reported that two insurance companies controlled by Walter, as well as the Guggenheim Partners, where Walter is chief executive, are being investigated by federal prosecutors for potential financial improprieties.

No charges have been filed. Representatives from the parent company of the insurance firms as well as from TWC Global — the Walter business empire that controls his sporting investments, including the Dodgers and Lakers — have told reporters they are cooperating with the investigation.

“Do I have to report this?” Trump joked as he examined the World Series ring — presidents have to disclose expensive gifts. “I don’t want to report this.”

Neither Trump nor the Dodgers took questions, as was the case last year. Trump invited the team to the Oval Office, where he presented them with Trump challenge coins.

But before leaving the stage, the president segued back into renovations to the White House grounds. The show had come full circle.

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