“Our nation faces much greater challenges! CONCENTRATE on those, not trivial matters,” Donald Trump stated in 2013. He added that then-President Barack Obama, in his view, “ought not to be instructing” Washington, D.C.’s NFL franchise “to alter their designation.”
However, it now appears that attention must be paid to what was once deemed trivial. While President Trump persists in his efforts to scrutinize his the late alleged, he made two posts on his Truth Social platform on Sunday concerning the name of the football team in the nation’s capital and also that of the MLB team located in Cleveland, Ohio.
“The Washington ‘Whatever’s’ must INSTANTLY revert their name to the Washington Redskins Football Team,” he asserted. “There is significant demand for this. Similarly, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six founding baseball teams with a rich history. Our remarkable Indian population, in vast numbers, desires this outcome. Their legacy and esteem are being systematically stripped away. The current climate differs from three or four years prior. We are a Nation driven by conviction and practicality. OWNERS, MAKE IT SO!!!”
In a subsequent post, Trump declared: “I might impose a condition on them: if they fail to revert the name to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and abandon the absurd designation, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I will not finalize an agreement for them to construct a Stadium in Washington. The Team would gain considerably more value, and the Agreement would be far more appealing to all. Cleveland ought to follow suit with the Cleveland Indians. The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is highly involved in politics, has suffered three consecutive electoral defeats due to that preposterous name alteration. What he fails to grasp is that by changing the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually secure an Election victory. Indians are being subjected to highly unjust treatment. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!”
(Dolan, a Republican who spent five years in the Ohio House of Representatives and eight years in the state senate, and whose father acquired the Cleveland baseball team in 2000, unsuccessfully campaigned for the U.S. Senate in both 2022 and 2024.)
In 2020, amidst broad concerns regarding social injustices throughout the U.S., both the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians opted to alter their designations out of deference to Native Americans. Washington became the Washington Football Team in that year, and by 2022, embraced the name the Washington Commanders, whereas the Cleveland Indians transformed into their present name, the Cleveland Guardians, in 2021.
Trump consistently disapproved of the name alterations, stating in 2020: “Teams are named from a position of STRENGTH, not frailty, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two legendary sports franchises, appear set to modify their names for the sake of political correctness. Indigenous people, much like Elizabeth Warren, must be quite incensed at this moment!”
(Senator Warren, a Democrat representing Massachusetts, has faced ridicule from Trump and other Republicans concerning her .)
Trump’s insistence that these sports organizations revert their rebrandings coincides with his second-term Administration’s focus on initiatives in both the public and .
Addressing reporters on Sunday, Chris Antonetti, the Guardians’ president of baseball operations, commented, “We acknowledge diverse viewpoints regarding the choice we made several years ago, but it is unequivocally our decision. We’ve had the chance to establish the Guardians brand over the past four years and anticipate an exciting future.”
The Commanders did not promptly release a statement, though earlier this year, controlling owner Josh Harris confirmed his team had no intention of altering its name once more. “Within these walls, the name Commanders holds significance,” Harris stated during a February press conference. “It signifies players who are passionate about football, excel at the sport, play with intensity, possess mental fortitude, and are exceptional teammates.”
It remains uncertain if Trump possesses the authority to overturn an agreement reached in April by the Commanders and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, aimed at relocating the team in 2030 to its former venue at the capital’s Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, following its move to Landover, Md., in 1997.
Following years of deliberations concerning the redevelopment of the historic yet disused sports and events complex, Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, in January signed a bill that transferred the RFK Stadium land from federal to local jurisdiction for a period of 99 years.
Nonetheless, earlier this month, when certain members of the D.C. Council voiced doubts regarding the schedule and funding of the mayor’s agreement with the Commanders, Trump implied he could intercede should the council fail to endorse it. “It represents a highly significant parcel of land. It’s an excellent piece of property,” Trump remarked, referencing the RFK Stadium location, “You understand, we ultimately maintain authority over that. The federal government ultimately holds control, so we shall observe the outcome.”