Trump threatens to block commanders stadium over team name: “Bring back the Redskins”

Former President Donald Trump has threatened to derail the Washington Commanders’ proposed $3 billion stadium deal unless the NFL team changes its name back to the “Redskins.”

Posting on Truth Social, Trump criticized the Commanders’ current name and called it “ridiculous,” saying the franchise would be “much more valuable” if it returned to its previous identity.

“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 wrote.

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The team, formerly known as the Redskins, dropped the name in 2020 after years of criticism over its offensive nature toward Native Americans. It temporarily became the “Washington Football Team” before settling on “Commanders” in 2022.

Despite Trump’s push, the Commanders already have a preliminary deal to build a 65,000-seat stadium on the old RFK Stadium site, where the team once played from 1961 to 1997.

This isn’t the first time Trump has weighed in on sports team names. He recently called on Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians to revert to their old name, the “Cleveland Indians,” claiming that Native Americans “in massive numbers” want the change reversed.

“Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them,” Trump said.

However, Guardians team President Chris Antonetti dismissed the comments, saying the franchise is focused on building its brand and looking ahead.

“There are very different perspectives on the decision we made… We’ve gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and we’re excited about the future,” Antonetti told The Athletic.