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22nd July 2025
09:52am BST
Donald Trump has handed NFL team The Washington Commanders a damning ultimatum, they must either change their name back to the “Redskins” or risk losing out on a £3 billion new stadium.
The Commanders were called the ‘Redskins’ for decades before they decided to change their name in 2020 when a review found the name to be both racist and offensive to Native Americans.
This spring the Commanders agreed a deal with the local government to build a brand-new 65,000-seater arena at the site where the old RFK Stadium — their home for more than 30 years — still stands.
That multi-billion dollar deal has now been put at risk by US President Trump who took to social media to write: "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."
Trump has shown his interest in the USA's most popular sport already since his re-election last November.
The 79-year-old became the first sitting US President in history to attend the Super Bowl this February.
Trump is not the first public figure to call on a US sport team to change their name back to an older less-inclusive version.
Earlier this year, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) responded to calls for both the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians (previously Indians) with this statement:
"These depictions are not tributes - they are rooted in racism, cultural appropriation, and intentional ignorance. For too long, they have perpetuated harmful stereotypes that degrade, dehumanize, and visit harm on the wellbeing of Native peoples.”
The Washington Commanders are yet to respond to Donald Trump’s comments.
