United States President Donald Trump has again expressed strong feelings about the Washington Commanders’ nickname. His most recent statements include a warning that could impact the franchise’s future.
Weeks after saying that the current nickname “just doesn’t have the same ring” as “Redskins,” Trump took to Truth Social to share a series of posts that supported his original statement from earlier in the month.
“The Washington ‘Whatever’s’ should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team,” the president wrote Sunday morning. He continued, saying, “Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS, GET IT DONE!!!!”
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Sunday afternoon, Trump acknowledged his statement had “totally blown up, but only in a very positive way.” In a corresponding statement, he took a stronger stance by posing the threat of restricting the franchise’s agreed-upon relocation to a new stadium in Washington, D.C.
Here is what to know about Trump’s threat to block Washington’s new stadium plans.
Why is Donald Trump threatening the Commanders?
Trump’s threat to the Commanders is rooted in the franchise changing its name back to Redskins.
Here is an excerpt from his post to Truth Social:
My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way. 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 morre valuable, and the Deal would be more exciting for everyone.
With his post, Trump suggests he would act to prevent the franchise’s forthcoming move from Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., to a new stadium in Washington, D.C. The move is planned for 2030.
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Commanders stadium deal details
On April 28, 2025, the Commanders and the D.C. government announced an agreement to build a $3.7 billion stadium in the city. The agreed-upon new stadium is to be located at the site of the former RFK Stadium, the franchise’s home from 1961 to 1996.
The proposed move is projected to happen in 2030, pending approval from the D.C. Council.
The franchise announced the move with a video narrated by Joe Theismann, and renderings of the stadium depict features that include a glass roof and views of the United States Capitol building.
NEW: Rendering of the new RFK Stadium with a glass roof and views of the US Capitol. Timeline to open stadium in 2030. pic.twitter.com/ZJOLUf3ecy
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) April 28, 2025
Why did the Commanders change team name?
The Commanders changed their name because the term “Redskin” is a racial slur for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada.
In American English dictionaries, the term is categorized as offensive, insulting, or disparaging.
The team’s name change was the result of decades of controversy and increased pressure for brands to pull their sponsorships if the franchise did not move on from the nickname.
A 2020 report from AdWeek revealed that Nike, FedEx, and PepsiCo — the franchise’s top partners — each received a letter about the name change, signed by 87 different investors and shareholders with a net worth of over $600 billion. This group urged each brand to pull its sponsorships unless the Redskins changed their nickname.
The increased pressure came in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests highlighting racial unrest around the country. Several retail companies began to remove Redskins merchandise from their stores.
When did Commanders change team name?
The Washington franchise has changed away from its nickname twice, first changing from Redskins in 2020 before its most recent change to Commanders in 2022.
After retiring the Redskins name and logo, the team adopted the temporary moniker of the Washington Football Team, using the same branding and uniforms from before, sans Redskins insignia.
The franchise spent two seasons as the Washington Football Team before a full rebrand to the Commanders in 2022, complete with new logos and uniforms.
MORE:Â Washington unveils ‘Super Bowl Era’ throwbacks for 2025 season
Will the Commanders change their name back?
In August 2024, franchise owner Josh Harris said, “I just think that we’ve been very clear, for obvious reasons the old name can’t come back.”
Harris did add that “we’re going to start to do things that bring us back to our heritage, honoring our past. You saw the gold pants. Those are easy things to do. So, we are doing research and we’re thinking about it, but like right now we’re prioritizing the things that we’ve talked about and that’s kind of the rationale for it.”
The franchise recently announced it will wear “Super Bowl Era” uniforms in 2025, which are throwbacks from the franchise’s time as the Redskins.
History doesn’t fade…it fuels the future. pic.twitter.com/MFJbsyMymH
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 9, 2025
Team President Mark Clouse did not mention the Redskins nickname by name in an official release, but accompanying promotional materials included highlights and photos with Redskins branding.
