NFL Showdown: Trump Demands ‘Redskins’ Back or No Stadium Deal!

CLEVELAND (AP) — President Donald Trump is threatening to block a new stadium deal for Washington’s NFL team unless it reverts to its former name, the Redskins, which many consider offensive to Native Americans.

Trump also expressed his desire on Sunday for Cleveland’s baseball team to return to its previous name, the Indians, claiming there is significant public demand for this change as well.

The Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians have held their current names since the 2022 seasons, and both teams have stated they have no plans to revert to their former names.

Trump argued that the Washington football team would be much more valuable if it reinstated its old name.

\”I may impose a restriction that if they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins’ and eliminate the ridiculous moniker ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a stadium in Washington,\” Trump stated on his social media platform.

His renewed interest in the name change reflects a broader effort to reverse changes that followed a national conversation about cultural sensitivity and racial justice. In 2020, the team announced it would drop the Redskins name and the Indian head logo during a significant reckoning with systemic racism and police brutality.

Earlier this year, the Commanders and the District of Columbia government revealed a deal to build a new home for the football team at the site of the old RFK Stadium, where the franchise played for more than three decades.

It remains uncertain whether Trump can actually impede the deal. In January, President Joe Biden signed a bill transferring the land from the federal government to the District of Columbia.

This provision was part of a short-term spending bill that Congress passed in December. While Washington residents elect a mayor, a city council, and commissioners to manage daily operations, Congress retains control over the city’s budget.

Josh Harris, whose group purchased the Commanders from former owner Dan Snyder in 2023, stated earlier this year that the name is here to stay. Shortly after taking over, Harris dismissed speculation about reverting to the Redskins, asserting that it would not happen. The team did not immediately respond to a request for comment following Trump’s statement.

The Washington team originated in Boston as the Redskins in 1933 before relocating to the nation’s capital four years later.

Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations for the Cleveland Guardians, indicated before Sunday’s game against the Athletics that there are no plans to revisit the name change.

\”We understand there are different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but it’s a decision we’ve made. We’ve had the opportunity to build a brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future ahead,\” he said.

Cleveland announced in December 2020 that it would drop the name Indians and switched to Guardians in July 2021. In 2018, the team phased out Chief Wahoo as its primary logo.

The name changes have sparked both support and criticism amid national discussions about logos and names deemed racist.

On Sunday afternoon, Trump posted, \”The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change. What he doesn’t understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an election. Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!\”

Matt Dolan, the son of the late Larry Dolan, no longer holds a role with the Guardians. He managed the team’s charity efforts until 2016.

Dolan ran for a seat in the Ohio U.S. Senate elections in 2022 and 2024 but lost both times.

Washington and Cleveland share another connection: David Blitzer is part of Harris’ ownership group for the Commanders and holds a minority stake in the Guardians.