Trump Threatens Commanders Stadium Deal Over Refusal to Revert to ‘Redskins’ Name
President Donald Trump is pressuring the Washington Commanders to abandon their current name and reinstate their former one — the “Redskins” — or risk losing the opportunity to build a new stadium in the District of Columbia.
In a series of posts on Truth Social over the weekend, Trump threatened to block a federal deal that would allow the NFL team to construct a $3.7 billion stadium at the former RFK Stadium site unless it reverts to its pre-2020 name. “I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back… I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,” he wrote. “The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone.”
The team’s owner, Josh Harris, has made it clear there are no plans to reverse the 2020 decision to drop the name widely condemned as racist toward Native Americans. “I think it’s now being embraced by our team, by our culture, by our coaching staff and so we’re going with that,” Harris said in February.
No Authority, Just Noise: Trump’s Involvement Raises Legal Questions
Despite his threats, Trump has no formal role in the Commanders’ stadium negotiations. The bipartisan Senate bill that passed in 2024 transferred federal land jurisdiction over the RFK site to D.C. officials, not the federal executive branch. It’s unclear what “restriction” Trump could legally impose to block the stadium project.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the president’s stance but provided no specifics, only stating that “sports is one of the many passions of this president,” and that he “gets involved in a lot of things most presidents have not.”
The D.C. Council is currently considering a proposal to redevelop the RFK Stadium site into a modern stadium complex that would return the Commanders to the city after years in Maryland. The deal must be approved by the council this summer.
Native Groups Condemn Trump’s Demands as “Political Theater”
The Association on American Indian Affairs strongly criticized Trump’s comments, calling them a “distraction from the real harm this administration continues to inflict on Native Peoples.” The group denounced the use of Native-themed mascots, stating, “The idea that Native Nations broadly support the use of these names and mascots is false… They reduce us to caricatures.”
A 2020 joint study by the University of Michigan and UC Berkeley found that at least 50% of over 1,000 Native Americans surveyed were offended by the team’s former name.
Trump Also Targets Cleveland Guardians, Invents “MIGA”
Trump’s attacks extended beyond football. He blasted the Cleveland Guardians — formerly the Indians — and claimed Ohio Senate candidate Matt Dolan lost elections because of the baseball team’s name change. “MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!” he wrote.
The Guardians have no plans to reverse course. “It’s a decision we made… We’re excited about the future that’s in front of us,” said team president Chris Antonetti.
Republican Agenda at Odds with Trump’s Culture War
Ironically, Trump’s outburst undercuts efforts by fellow Republicans like Rep. James Comer, who has been lobbying the D.C. Council to speed up stadium approval. Comer has tried to use congressional leverage to support the project, but Trump’s cultural demands may complicate bipartisan progress.
The Commanders officially dropped the “Redskins” name in July 2020 following decades of protest. They were temporarily known as the Washington Football Team before adopting “Commanders” in 2022.
