ADVERTISEMENTs
_page-0001.jpg)
Trump threatens Washington stadium deal unless NFL team readopts Redskins name
The American football team dropped the name Redskins in 2020 after decades of criticism that it was a racial slur.
-
Reuters - Mon, 21, Jul 2025
- 12:15 EDT
- 10
.JPG)
FILE PHOTO: May 6, 2022; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; Washington Commanders players' helmets rest on the field during Washington Commanders rookie minicamp at Inova Performance Center In Ashburn, VA. / Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on July 20 to interfere with a deal to build a new football stadium in Washington, D.C., unless the local NFL team, now known as the Commanders, changes its name back to Redskins.
The American football team dropped the name Redskins in 2020 after decades of criticism that it was a racial slur.
Also Read: Trump's renewed interest in Pakistan has India recalibrating China ties
Trump had called for a return to the name Redskins - and for the Cleveland Guardians baseball team to once again adopt the name Indians - on other occasions, but on July 20 he added that he may take official action.
"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," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
The team moved from Washington to suburban Landover, Maryland, in 1997, but earlier this year reached an agreement with the local District of Columbia government to return to the city with a new stadium expected to open in 2030.
Trump has limited authority to intervene under the current home-rule law governing federal oversight of the District of Columbia, but he has raised the prospect of taking more control, telling reporters in February, "I think we should take over Washington, D.C."
Representatives of the Commanders did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some fans have advocated readopting the name Redskins out of tradition, but leading Indigenous rights organizations have opposed the name, including the National Congress of American Indians, the Association on American Indian Affairs, and Cultural Survival.
At least one group, the Native American Guardians Association, has supported the name Redskins and the "respectful use of Native American names and imagery in sports, education and public life."
The treatment of the Indigenous population after the arrival of European settlers to the U.S. remains a matter of fierce debate. Some historians describe it as genocide, while others prefer the term ethnic cleansing.
Related
.JPG)
.JPG)
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login