Donald Trump has issued a threat against the NFL side Washington Commanders, to block the plans for their new stadium if the team fails to comply with his request to go back to their old name of the Redskins. The 47th President of the United States recently took to social media to urge the Commanders, as well as the Cleveland Guardians, to revert to their previous monikers, claiming that “our great Indian people” would prefer such a change.
Donald Trump’s drama with the Washington Commanders over old name explained
The businessman-turned-politician recently shared an extensive account asking Washington and Cleveland to once again adopt their old names in a bid to supposedly honor the country’s heritage. On July 20, Donald Trump posted a warning to the Commanders, threatening to block the three-time Super Bowl champions’ proposed plans to build a new camp at the old RFK Stadium site in Washington.
“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 in his latest Truth Social post. (via The Independent)
The Commanders, currently stationed in Maryland, have agreed to a deal that would allow them to return to the capital. As per the present dynamics, Washington will be able to complete the move by 2030. However, Trump has now put a roadblock in the Commanders’ plans, insisting on thwarting this move unless they change back to their old name of Redskins.
Washington originally dropped the Redskins mantle in 2020 owing to consistent protests from groups claiming that the team was using a racial slur for Native Americans in their name. Cleveland changed their moniker from Indians to Guardians due to a similar reason back in 2021. However, Trump is now citing cultural reasons to force the two sides to change back their monikers.
The two NFL teams have yet to respond to the comments made by Donald Trump.
