President Trump has threatened to block the Washington Commanders' plan to build a new stadium in Washington, DC, if the team doesn't adopt their old name, the Washington Redskins.
President Trump's initial Truth Social post he put up early Sunday read:
The Washington “Whatever’s” should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this. Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past. Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen. Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS, GET IT DONE!!!
He then followed up later on Sunday, where he threatened to prevent the construction of a new stadium. The President added that the Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Cleveland Indians, should do the same.
The second post read:
My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way. 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. The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone. Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians. 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)!
The Commanders are no stranger to controversy around their name. Mayor Muriel Bowser, when the team was still known as the Redskins, said the "racist" name would be an "obstacle" if DC were to welcome the team back to the city. Bowser noted that their name is “an obstacle for us locally, but it’s also an obstacle for the federal government who leases the land to us.”
The Commanders' team owner, Josh Harris, joined President Donald Trump, Muriel Bowser, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the Oval Office in early May of this year to discuss the recently announced deal for the RFK Stadium site. This meeting followed the public unveiling of a $3–4 billion stadium project in April, at the National Press Club. The group’s gathering underscored the collaborative effort behind the ambitious plan to revitalize Washington, D.C.’s sports infrastructure and highlighted the city’s role in hosting future NFL events like the 2027 NFL Draft.