Donald Trump issues threat to football team about what will happen if they don't change their name
Donald Trump has threatened to block a ten-figure American football stadium from being built in Washington if the residing team don’t change their ‘ridiculous moniker’.
The 79-year-old's history with sports stretches much further than his recent controversial appearance at the FIFA Men’s Club World Cup final, where he stayed on the podium with Chelsea as they lifted the coveted trophy.
As a keen golfer, the POTUS owns various clubs and courses across the globe. He also previously served as the owner of the now-defunct New Jersey Generals in the United States Football League (USFL).
In a 2004 published book, he claimed he actually could’ve become a ‘pro baseball player’, and earlier this year, Trump attended Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans to see the Philadelphia Eagles pulverise the Kansas City Chiefs in a strong 40-22 victory.
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The father-of-five made history as the first sitting US president to attend the NFL Championships in person.
Now, Trump is wading back into American football, threatening to pull the plug on £3 billion stadium plans if a team don’t heed his request and change their name, as per BBC.
Trump threatens NFL team to change their name
On Sunday, the Republican took to his social media site, Truth Social, and took aim at a competitive NFL team that rebranded in 2022.
The side, whose head coach is Dan Quinn, currently plays their sports at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, while training in Ashburn, Virginia.
In April 2025, a lucrative deal was agreed for the 1932-established side, known as the Washington Commanders, to return to Washington.
They plan to play their games in a 65,000-seater bowl, situated at the site of the RFK Stadium - their home from 1961 to 1997.
“The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team,” wrote Trump. “There is a big clamouring for this.”
Hours later, he alleged: “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.”
According to NBC, it remains unclear whether Trump has the authority to halt the construction of the Washington Commanders' new home.
Why did the Washington Commanders change their name?
The Washington Commanders, the team facing Trump’s stadium block threat, changed their name from the Washington Redskins to their current moniker in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and 2020 racial justice protests, Sky News reported.
Native American rights groups, who had long criticised the Redskins’ name and logo, eventually saw success after a dozen Native leaders and organisations wrote to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell demanding an immediate change of the name.
The Redskins, now the Washington Commanders, changed their name for ‘obvious reasons’, according to Josh Harris, who bought the side from former owner Dan Snyder in 2023.
Trump requests Cleveland Guardians revert back to old name
Trump has also used the moment to ask the Cleveland Guardians to revert to their original name, the ‘Cleveland Indians’.
He wrote: “Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen.”
Chris Antonetti, the Guardians’ president of baseball operations, has stated that his team will retain its current name.
“We understand there are different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago but obviously it’s a decision we made,” Antonetti said.
“We’ve got the opportunity to build a brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future that’s in front of us.”
Tyla has contacted the Washington Commanders for further comment.
Topics: Sport, Football, US News, Donald Trump, Politics
Ella Scott