Trump Threatens to Thwart Commanders' Stadium Deal Unless Team Returns to Redskins Name

President Donald Trump over the weekend threatened to impede the Commanders' stadium deal unless ownership agrees to change the team's name back to its former Washington Redskins moniker. 

“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 his Truth Social platform.

The Commanders left Washington in 1997 for Landover, Md., but may be moving back to D.C. after mayor Muriel Bowser and the team announced a deal in April to renovate Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. 

Trump had said earlier this month that he was open to helping the Commanders get a deal done on the stadium. 

“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. 

CNN reports that in late 2024, lawmakers in Congress passed a bill to transfer ownership of the RFK site from the federal government to the district’s government.

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

Earlier Sunday, the president initially referred to the football team as the “Washington ‘Whatever’s’” and urged the owners to “IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team.”