US President Donald Trump favors going back to Washington Commanders’ old NFL team name, says new name ‘doesn’t have the same ring’ | NFL News
United States President Donald Trump has once more given his take on the long-running saga surrounding the Washington Commanders’ team name—this time, with even more confidence. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Trump merely stated that he would have never renamed the NFL team in the first place, terming the current name substandard compared to the original name.
US President Donald Trump calls for name reversal as Washington Commanders weigh potential stadium deal talks
The Washington Commanders dropped their previous name in 2020 following increasing popular outrage at its offensiveness and repeated calls from Native American activists and civil rights organizations. Even after the change of ownership and branding that has followed since then, under the current command of Josh Harris, talks about a potential rebrand continue to be prevalent in the media and among supporters. “You want me to make a controversial statement?” Donald Trump said, as reported by The Hill’s Sarah Fortinsky. “I would. I wouldn’t have changed the name. It just doesn’t have the same; it doesn’t have the same ring to me.”
Donald Trump’s remarks come in the wake of new rumors surrounding the franchise’s future, both in brand and in terms of infrastructure, as plans for a potential new stadium in the historic RFK Stadium site in Washington, D.C., are still being debated. While Donald Trump admitted that repeated winning could blunt public criticism of the Commanders’ moniker, he indicated he still prefers the old name. “But, you know, winning can make everything sound good,” Trump added. “So if they win, all of a sudden the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn’t have changed the name.” Trump’s new position comes at a pivotal moment. The Commanders are said to be considering a move back to the RFK Stadium site as a potential future home, but that would need to be greenlit by city leaders and potentially federal pressure. That leaves the door open to possible political horse-trading—something Trump is now famous for. In exchange for his leverage, Trump might demand naming rights on the new stadium or even bringing back the old team name, even though Harris has publicly said that kind of return isn’t an option.Also read: Will Donald Trump become the unlikely savior of the Washington Commanders’ stadium comeback?Whether or not Josh Harris would be open to going in reverse is still to be determined. The company may ultimately have to decide how much it is willing to negotiate in order to acquire long-term facilities and political goodwill in the nation’s capital.
