JUST IN: Trump Suggests He May Force NFL Franchise To Change Its Name

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he may pressure the Washington Commanders to revert back to their old name, the Washington Redskins, as the team is currently negotiating to keep the team’s stadium in downtown Washington D.C.

Trump put pressure on the Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians, formerly known as the Cleveland Indians, to change their names in a series of Truth Social posts on Sunday. “The Washington ‘Whatever’s’ should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this,” the president wrote in his initial post. “Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past.”

Hours later, Trump acknowledged that his initial post had generated a significant amount of buzz before offering a follow-up that provided insight into his plans to force a name change.

“My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way,” Trump wrote in a second Truth Social post. “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. The Team would be much more valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone.”

The president also addressed the Guardians once again and suggested that they follow suit.

“Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians. The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change,” the president continued. “What he doesn’t understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an Election. Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!”

Guardians president Chris Antonetti responded to Trump’s suggesting by stating that a name change was not something the franchise is considering at this time.

But I would say generally, I understand that there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago,” he told Cleveland.com. “Obviously it’s a decision we’ve made and we’ve gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future.”

Commanders team owner Josh Harris previously joined Trump, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the Oval Office when a deal was announced at the old RFK Stadium site earlier this year. Any final agreement would need to be approved by the D.C. City Council, while President Trump has expressed openness to stepping in if an agreement cannot be reached.

Trump has publicly indicated he might intervene if the D.C. Council blocks or delays the deal, citing federal leverage over the site. The stadium site was transferred from federal to D.C. control via the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act (H.R. 4984), signed into law by President Joe Biden on January 6, 2025, though Trump has cited residual federal authority.

A number of Republican lawmakers have supported the idea of the team returning to RFK Stadium on the condition that they revert back to the Redskins moniker. Senator Steve Daniels (R-MT) stated that he would go forward with such a deal after lengthy discussions on the matter.

“We were calling out leaders in case of really, woke gone wrong,” Daines said at the time. “The irony that they were canceling Native American culture as the DEI movement went way too far. This is honoring a Blackfeet chief who was born in Montana. He is highly esteemed. The Blackfeet tribe of Montana, their current chairman and tribal council signed a letter in strong support to bring the logo back. It honors Indian Country. ”

Harris, however, has maintained that he is not considering another name change at this time. “The Commanders’ name actually has taken on an amazing kind of element in our building,” the team owner said when asked about the matter by Fox News’ Bret Baier.

“So, the people that certain types of players that are tough, that love football, are delegated Commanders and Jayden [Daniels], for example, is a Commander, and they’re ranked,” he added. “And, you know, the business staff has gotten into it, and obviously, we’re in a military city here. There’s more military personnel than anywhere else, so we’re kind of moving forward with the Commanders name, excited about that, and not looking back.”