President Donald Trump is serious about his threats of restrictions towards the Washington Commanders if the NFL team does not backtrack on its recent team name change.
In an interview, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that President Donald Trump is “serious” about his threats of applying restrictions to the Washington Commanders if they do not change their name back to “Redskins.”
“The president was serious,” Leavitt told reporters in an interview. “Sports is one of the many passions of this president and he wants to see the name of that team changed. I think you’ve seen the president gets involved in a lot of things that most presidents have not. He’s a non-traditional president. He likes to see results on behalf of the American people.”
Donald Trump is 100% serious about blocking the RFK Stadium deal if the #Commanders don’t change their name.
“The President was serious. Sports is one of his many passions. He likes to see results on behalf of the American people.” pic.twitter.com/OQoQi6tpxt
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) July 22, 2025
The NFL team in Washington D.C., was eventually called the Commanders since they first changed their name in 2020. The team had previously been known as the “Redskins” name for most of its existence for decades, but was renamed after many years of controversy. The name “Redskins” has been deemed by many people and experts to be a racial slur against Native Americans.
The change comes during a point in time when variables, including national protests for the murder of George Floyd, took on a life of their own, as major sponsors such as FedEx, Nike and PepsiCo were leading the charge in publicly pressuring the franchise to reconsider the name or risk losing sponsorship.
After years of former owner Dan Snyder resisting the push, the increasing public pressure from corporations and sports influencers eventually culminated in a temporary name, “Washington Football Team,” coined in July 2020 and then rebranded to the “Washington Commanders” in 2022. The organization was trying to redefine the franchise as a new era in Washington and to remove association with the name that many criticized as offensive.
How was Donald Trump involved in the Washington Commanders Name Change?
The controversy involving the Washington Commanders reignited recently when President Donald Trump threatened to block the team’s proposed $3.7 billion stadium deal in Washington, D.C. unless it reverted to its old name. Trump called the “Commanders” moniker “ridiculous” and claimed that “our great Indian people” want the original name restored.
He posted on Truth Social that he might impose restrictions on the stadium project if the name isn’t changed back, despite the fact that the team’s current ownership and the NFL have made clear the old name will not return.
Trump’s push to revive the name has drawn criticism from figures like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who called it “petty” and politically motivated. Despite Trump’s threats, current Commanders owner Josh Harris has firmly rejected any reversal, calling the “Commanders” identity central to the franchise’s rebranding.
Analysts and critics argued that Donald Trump’s stance is politically motivated and dismissive of the racial sensitivities that prompted the original change.
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Yelle is a broadcast communications graduate from the University of Perpetual Help-Dalta and has pursued a career in television and news writing in Net 25 and Radyo Agila. Some of her works can also be seen through her previous publication in Fastbreak.com.ph.
