Trump threatens to block Washington Commanders’ stadium plan unless they change name back to ‘Redskins’

In the latest Donald Trump “Strange News and Presidential Overreach” categories,  it was widely reported yesterday that a proposed $4 billion stadium deal for the Washington Commanders’ bid for a new stadium has stalled and is in jeopardy after Trump inserted his anti-DEI presidential preferences into the deal and threatened to block the team’s deal unless it changes its name back to the “Redskins,” according to MSN and other multiple sources.

Trump reignited the name change controversy by threatening to block the Washington Commanders’ stadium deal unless the team reverted to its former name.  He posted on Truth Social that “there is a big clamoring for this,” claiming that “our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen”.

.

Trump also urged the Cleveland Guardians to restore their previous name, the Indians, arguing that their “heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away”.

Both teams originally changed their names amid national reckoning over racial justice. The Washington franchise dropped “Redskins” in 2020 after decades of criticism that the term was a racial slur. Cleveland followed suit in 2021, retiring “Indians” and the controversial Chief Wahoo logo, which had long been criticized as a caricature.

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the largest organization representing tribal nations, has consistently opposed Native-themed mascots and names, calling them harmful and dehumanizing. Interestingly, the Native American Guardian Association (NAGA) supports restoring the Redskins name, arguing it honors Native heritage.

Those that are in the camp for supporting a reversal and changing the teams’ names back to Redskins and Indians seem to  feel that way due to fan nostalgia and perceived tradition, while those against the reversal say that using those names perpetuates stereotypes and undermines efforts to respect Indigenous communities.

Both Washington and Cleveland say they have no plans to revert back to their former team names.

For more on Trump calling for the Washington Commanders to “immediately” change their name back to the Washington Redskins, see the video below.

.

(Sources:  Time, Fox 5 DC, The Associated Press, USA Today, NCAI.org)
(Cover photo: Image credit: X)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
Follow Richard on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram