Trump Threatens to Block Stadium Deal Unless Washington Football Team Restores ‘Redskins’ Name

President Donald Trump is pressuring the Washington Commanders to revert to their former name, the Redskins — warning that he may block a stadium deal if the franchise refuses to comply.

Taking to his social media platform on Sunday, Trump called the current name “ridiculous” and suggested the team would be “much more valuable” with the original branding.

“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 posted.

The president also took aim at Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, saying there’s a “big clamoring” for the team to return to its former identity — the Cleveland Indians.

Both teams dropped their historic names amid intense public pressure during the 2020 wave of corporate and political reforms, which targeted what critics labeled as racially insensitive branding. At the time, franchise leaders cited cultural sensitivity and social justice concerns in making the changes.

But Trump’s stance is part of a broader effort by his administration to reverse what it calls “performative political correctness” and restore traditional symbols discarded under public pressure in recent years.

Earlier this year, the Commanders and D.C. government announced plans for a new stadium on the old RFK site. Whether Trump has legal leverage to halt that plan remains unclear — especially after former President Joe Biden signed a land transfer bill in January, granting control of the site to the District of Columbia.

Congress still maintains budgetary authority over the capital, leaving open the question of how much influence Trump can exert over the deal.

The franchise’s current owner, Josh Harris — who took over from Dan Snyder in 2023 — has previously shut down speculation about reviving the Redskins name.

The Washington team began as the Boston Redskins in 1933 before moving to D.C. four years later, where it kept the name for decades.

Cleveland’s leadership, meanwhile, has also shown no interest in a reversal. Chris Antonetti, head of baseball operations for the Guardians, said Sunday there were no discussions about going back.

With input from The AP News