Trump Threatens Stadium Deal Unless Commanders Return to Former Team Name
- therookiereporters
- Jul 28
- 2 min read
Summary: President Trump threatens to block the Washington Commanders’ stadium deal unless they go back to their old name, Redskins, which was widely regarded as offensive to Native Americans. He made a similar demand for Cleveland’s baseball team.
President Donald Trump threatens to block a new stadium deal for the NFL’s Washington Commanders unless it brings back its former name, the Redskins, a name that is widely considered offensive to Native Americans.
On Sunday, July 20th, Trump said he also wants Cleveland’s baseball team to return to its former name, the Indians, claiming there was a “big clamouring for this” as well.
The Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians have had their current team names since the 2022 season and both teams have stated that they have no plans to change them back to their former name.
Trump states that by returning to its former name, the Washington NFL team would be “much more valuable.”
In April, an agreement was reached for the Commanders to construct a new $4 billion, 65,000-seat stadium on the site of the old RFK Stadium, where they played from 1961 to 1997.
“I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,” Trump said on his social media site.
But Trump’s ability to block the deal remains to be seen. Former President Joe Biden signed a bill in January that transferred the land from the federal government to the District of Columbia.
The provision was included in a short-term spending bill passed by Congress in December. While D.C. residents elect a mayor, a city council, and commissioners to manage day-to-day operations, Congress maintains control over the city’s budget.
Despite Trump’s statement, the Commanders are not planning to change their name back. Josh Harris, whose group bought the Commanders from former owner Dan Snyder in 2023, said earlier this year that the name was here to stay.
The same goes for the Cleveland Guardians. Before Sunday’s game against the Athletics, the team's president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti, indicated that there weren’t any plans to revisit the name change.
“I understand there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but obviously, it’s a decision we made,” said Antonetti. “We’ve gotten the opportunity to build a brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future.”
The name changes had both supporters and critics as part of the national discussions about logos and names considered racist. But on Sunday, Trump argued that “times are different now.”
Article written by Jana Van Nieuwenborgh
