President Donald Trump prefers the Washington Commanders’ controversial former identify, he instructed reporters Tuesday night.
Conservative Virginia radio host John Fredericks requested the president if a deal for a brand new Commanders stadium on the RFK Stadium website — on federal land that the authorities gave D.C. management of — is contingent upon restoring the crew’s former identify, which many contemplate racist. Whereas Trump’s response didn’t pertain to the stadium deal, he did share his desire for the previous crew identify.
“The Indian inhabitants is a good a part of this nation, nice heritage,” Trump stated.
He introduced up different groups with Native American-derived names, just like the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, and one different that modified its identify — Main League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians.
“Once you return to Indians, they’ve instructed us they don’t know why these names are being taken off,” Trump stated.
The president additionally instructed such identify modifications insult Native Individuals.
“I feel it’s degrading to the Indian inhabitants, and it’s a fantastic inhabitants,” Trump stated. “And so they like after they’re referred to as by varied names. Now, Washington, the Redskins, maybe that’s slightly completely different, slightly bit completely different, however I can let you know I spoke to folks of Indian heritage and so they love that identify and so they love that crew. … I feel it’s a superior identify to what they’ve proper now. It had heritage behind it; it had one thing particular.”
Critics requested former Commanders proprietor Dan Snyder to vary the identify for years, saying it’s offensive to Native Individuals. Snyder stated he’d by no means change the identify, however after strain from the general public and main crew sponsors reminiscent of FedEx and Nike to vary the nickname, the crew introduced a “thorough evaluate” into the crew’s identify and brand in July 2020. Ten days later, the crew introduced it could retire the identify.
The crew performed the 2020 and 2021 seasons because the Washington Soccer Group. Then in February 2022, the crew revealed its new identify and brand.
Present proprietor Josh Harris inherited the Commanders branding when the possession group he leads purchased the crew from Snyder in 2023.
Neither Mayor Muriel Bowser’s workplace nor the crew have commented on Trump’s remarks.
Harris beforehand has stated there will probably be no identify change.
