President Donald Trump is now threatening to block the Washington Commanders’ new stadium deal unless the team goes back to its old name, the Redskins — a name widely criticized as racist against Native Americans.
The president posted the ultimatum on his Truth Social page, saying, “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.”
The issue is that the land for the new stadium was already transferred from the federal government to D.C. earlier this year under President Biden, meaning Trump may not even have the authority to make that threat stick.
The Commanders, formerly the Redskins until 2020, have made it clear the name isn’t coming back.
The same is true for Cleveland’s baseball team — now the Guardians.
But that hasn’t stopped the president from rallying his base with what critics call “culture war” distractions.
Trump went as far as to say Native Americans support changing the name back, concluding the post with “MIGA — Make Indians Great Again.”
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
