US President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to block a stadium deal for Washington’s NFL team unless it changes its name back to the “Redskins,” a title dropped in 2020 after longstanding criticism over its racist connotations.
The team, now known as the Washington Commanders, retired the Redskins name amid growing public pressure and campaigns by Indigenous groups who argued it was a racial slur tied to the historical genocide of Native American peoples.
Trump has previously expressed support for restoring the name “Redskins,” and also urged the Cleveland Guardians baseball team to return to its former “Indians” moniker. But on Sunday, he indicated he may take formal steps to enforce his stance.
“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 on his Truth Social platform.
Washington’s NFL team relocated to suburban Landover, Maryland, in 1997, but earlier this year reached an agreement with District of Columbia officials to return to the city with a new stadium, scheduled to open in 2030.
While Trump’s power to directly intervene in the matter is limited under current federal oversight laws for the District of Columbia, he has previously suggested increasing federal control. In February, he told reporters, “I think we should take over Washington, D.C.”
The Commanders have not yet responded to the President’s remarks.
The debate over the team’s former name remains contentious. While several Indigenous organisations — including the National Congress of American Indians, the Association on American Indian Affairs, and Cultural Survival — have long opposed the “Redskins” name, a group known as the Native American Guardian’s Association has supported its use. The group advocates what it describes as the “respectful use of Native American names and imagery in sports, education and public life.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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