Donald Trump has threatened to block a stadium deal for the Washington Commanders unless they change their name back to the “Redskins”.
After years of playing in Maryland, the Commanders and the District of Columbia government agreed a deal earlier this year to build the American football team a new stadium at the site of the old RFK Stadium in Washington – where they played for more than three decades.
However, the US president has now said he “won’t make a deal for” the NFL team to move to a new ground unless they return to their former name.
He posted on Truth Social on Sunday: “The Washington ‘Whatever’s’ should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team.”
Mr Trump also called for the Cleveland Guardians to revert their name to the “Cleveland Indians”, and said: “Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen.”
He added later that he “may put a restriction on” the Commanders if they don’t revert to the old the name, adding: “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.”
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In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and racial justice protests in 2020, the Commanders announced that they were “retiring” their name and Native American head logo after decades of criticism.
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A “redskin” is defined in the American Merriam-Webster dictionary as an “insulting and contemptuous term for an American Indian”.
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of DC, previously said the “Redskins” name was an “obstacle” to the team building a stadium in Washington.
Currently, the team play at the Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, which was known as the FedExField until 2024, and which is about nine miles (15km) east of the city centre. The old RFK stadium – which the new stadium would replace – was about three miles (5km) from the centre.
Josh Harris, whose group bought the Commanders from former owner Dan Snyder in 2023, said in August last year that the team would not change their name back for “obvious reasons”.
The Commanders have not yet responded to Mr Trump’s statement. Sky News has contacted the team for comment.
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The Cleveland Guardians also changed their name in 2021 in the wake of Mr Floyd’s death and widespread protests.
Chris Antonetti, the MLB team’s president of baseball operations, said at a news conference on Sunday: “We understand there are different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but obviously it’s a decision we made.
“We’ve got the opportunity to build a brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future that’s in front of us.”
Mr Trump’s ability to constrain the deal to build a stadium in the District of Colombia is unclear. While president Joe Biden signed the bill in January transferring the land from the federal government to the district, DC residents elect a mayor, a city council and commissioners to run day-to-day operations and Congress maintains control of the city’s budget.
