Trump lobs new threats at pro football team: 'I may put a restriction on them'
President Donald Trump is threatening to derail a stadium deal if a professional football team doesn't change its name, according to a post from the president on Truth Social.
Trump posted that he won't approve of the Washington Commanders building a new stadium in Washington, D.C. unless the team changes its name back to the "Redskins." The team was nicknamed the "Redskins" from 1933 through 2022. The team changed its name after growing public outcry and threats of losing its stadium sponsor, FedEx.
"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,' Trump said in the post. "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."
Some professional sports teams have moved away from using Native American imagery or names over the last several years. For instance, the Cleveland Indians MLB franchise changed its name to the Cleveland Guardians in 2021.
However, other franchises like the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks, and Kansas City Chiefs did not change their names.
Trump added that the Cleveland Guardians should also change their name back to the Indians, and claimed that Matt Dolan, who is a member of the family that owns the team, had lost three elections because of the name change.
Dolan is a Republican state Senator in Ohio and recently challenged Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in the 2024 senatorial election.
"What he doesn’t understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an Election," Trump wrote. "Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!"