WASHINGTON, D.C. NEWS – Trump threatens to block Washington NFL stadium deal if Commanders don’t revert back to “Redskins”

Former President Donald Trump has threatened to derail a stadium deal between the Washington Commanders and the District of Columbia unless the NFL team reverts to its former name, the “Redskins”, a term widely recognized as offensive to Native Americans. Speaking on his social media platform, Trump called the current name “ridiculous” and claimed the team would be “much more valuable” with its original branding. He also criticized Cleveland’s baseball team, urging it to abandon the name “Guardians” and restore “Indians,” citing alleged public support for both reversals.

The Commanders and the D.C. government reached an agreement earlier this year to build a new stadium on the former RFK Stadium site. However, Trump’s leverage is unclear; although D.C. has local governance, Congress retains authority over its budget, and President Biden already signed a land transfer bill in January. Commanders owner Josh Harris reaffirmed earlier this year that the team has no intention of changing its name. The push comes amid broader political efforts by Trump to reverse changes made during the racial justice reckoning of 2020, when both the Commanders and Guardians adopted their current names to move away from culturally insensitive imagery. Neither team has commented directly on Trump’s latest remarks