President Donald Trump has demanded that the Washington Commanders revert to their former name, the “Redskins,” and threatened to block the NFL team’s new stadium deal if they refuse to do so.

CNN reported that in a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said he would block the Commanders from moving forward with their stadium project if the team did not revert to its original name, which was changed in 2022.

“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 wrote on the platform.

The Commanders and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a plan in April to bring the team back to the old Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium site. However, the proposal has stalled in the D.C. Council, which will begin public hearings on July 29.

Trump has vowed to help the Commanders move back to Washington

While the federal government owns the land, Congress passed legislation in late 2024 to transfer the RFK site to the D.C. government, per CNN. To move things along, Trump said he would step in to help if the D.C. Council fails to approve the pending deal.

“It’s a great piece of property, so we’ll see. But if I can help them out, I would. … The federal government ultimately controls it,” Trump said, per CNN.

He continued, “The owner is very, very successful and a very good man. It would be a great place for the NFL to be there, I can tell you that.”

‘It doesn’t have the same ring to me’

Trump made additional remarks on Sunday on his Truth Social platform, pressuring the Commanders about the team’s name. He even called out the organization’s owners, urging them to “IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team,” according to People.

“It doesn’t have the same ring to me,” he told reporters earlier in July, per CNN. “But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So, if they win, all of a sudden, the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn’t have changed it.”

The Commanders are not the only sports team Trump has pressured to change their name. He also stated that he wanted the Cleveland Guardians to revert back to the old “Indians” name they had before changing it in 2022, ESPN reported.

Washington Commanders

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