WASHINGTON — President Trump welcomed the MLB champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the Rose Garden Thursday — boasting about recent renovations to the venue, while also revealing he had “a little bet” with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the World Series.
Trump didn’t reveal what the two world leaders gambled on in the instant classic with the Toronto Blue Jays that LA squeaked out in seven memorable games.
The president gushed about Dodgers’ superstar Shohei Ohtani — saying “Babe Ruth was pretty close” to the player — whom he called “the best pitcher and the best hitter at the same time.”
Trump marveled over Ohtani’s three-homer feat against the Milwaukee Brewers in the series-clinching Game 4 of the NLCS on Oct. 17, 2025 — sending the Dodgers to the World Series.
“In the decisive game Shohei pitched a six-inning shutout, struck out 10 batters, and on the other side of the plate hit an unbelievable three home runs,” Trump said.
“In fact, I was watching the game, and before the announcer said it, I said, ‘That might be the greatest game ever played.’”
The president, an avid sports fan who played baseball in his younger years, said he then nervously watched the World Series matchup with the Blue Jays.
“That World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays proved to be among the most thrilling championships in the history of the sport,” he said.
“I watched it because I was having a a little bet with the prime minister of Canada, I had a little bet. I was not feeling so good for a little while. It wasn’t looking so good either.”
The president told guests of his newly updated Rose Garden that the event was the first to feature a sports team since the renovations — pointing out the new white stone pavers and the adjacent Presidential Walk of Fame.
Women in heels “went down like quicksand” in the Rose Garden when it was grass, Trump quipped.
“That took place for about 150 years, and I decided to do something about it.”
He said that the seat cushions are now four inches thick, rather than 1-inch, and noted his snarky biographies on plaques below photos of US presidents beneath the Colonnade.
“Generally speaking, I was very nice to the people up there,” he joked. “A couple of them probably not as nice as I could have been.”
