President Donald Trump is once again taking aim at pro sports, now threatening to block plans for the Washington Commanders’ new stadium unless the team returns to its old name — the Redskins. He also took the opportunity to call on MLB’s Cleveland Guardians to switch back to their former name, the Indians.
Trump’s push appears to be more than just nostalgia. He’s reportedly using the name change as leverage in the stadium talks, pressuring the NFL franchise to roll back what he calls “woke branding.” Meanwhile, the D.C. Council has been urging quicker approval of the stadium plan.
According to Trump, reviving the Redskins name would raise the team’s value and “make things more exciting.”
On Monday’s episode of Fearless, commentator Jason Whitlock offered a different take, suggesting Trump’s sudden attention to team names might be an intentional diversion.
“Part of me feels like this is a smoke screen, that Trump has been catching a lot of heat over the Epstein files,” Whitlock said.
He added, “I think it’s a distraction and it’s a pointless symbol. I would like to see this happen, but I’m not sure if I want to see it being pushed by Donald Trump at this time because I still want the Epstein files.”
Whitlock’s view is that Trump’s move may be a calculated effort to shift focus away from renewed scrutiny over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein — an issue gaining traction since Trump’s return to the Oval Office.
Epstein Files Blocked, Public Reaction Erupts
Earlier this month, the DOJ and FBI announced they would not be releasing more Epstein-related documents — despite earlier promises from the Donald Trump administration. The decision drew backlash from many of Trump’s own supporters.
Instead, the White House released 230,000 documents tied to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. — a move that Rev. Al Sharpton criticized as a “desperate attempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfing Trump.”
California Senator Adam Schiff also accused Trump of using deflection tactics, saying the president’s recent attacks on him were nothing more than an effort to “distract from his Epstein files problem.”
“What really is going on here is this is Donald Trump trying to bring about political retribution, retaliation, trying to distract,” Schiff said in a video message.
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