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U.S. President Donald Trump has called on the NFL’s Commanders and MLB’s Guardians to revive their former nicknames.
“The Washington “Whatever’s” should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account Sunday. “There is a big clamoring for this. Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past. Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen. Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. 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!!!”
Washington and Cleveland have both used their respective nicknames since 2022. From 2020–21, the NFL franchise was known as the Washington Football Team.
Trump has previously spoken publicly about his preference for both the Commanders and Guardians to use their former names.
D.C. Stadium Deal in Trouble?
Roughly five hours after Trump’s first post Sunday, he weighed back in on Truth Social to insinuate that the Commanders’ deal to build a $3.8 billion domed stadium in Washington, D.C., could hinge on a name change.
“My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way,” Trump wrote. “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.”
There have already been some political tensions over the Commanders’ plans to build on the grounds of their former home, RFK Stadium. The franchise is seeking more than $1 billion in public funding from the D.C. Council.
Commanders owner Josh Harris had previously thanked Trump for his support in the Commanders striking a deal to build a new $3.8 billion stadium in D.C. In May, Trump hosted the Commanders and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell at the White House to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft would be held in Washington, D.C.
Harris has previously said a change back to Washington’s former name wasn’t on the table. However, the franchise is leaning into its past, particularly around the reveal of new retro uniforms that will be used this season, which harken back to the team’s glory days of the 1980s and early 1990s. Washington used the Redskins nickname from 1937 to 2019, and they won Super Bowls in 1982, 1987, and 1991.
Guardians in Trump’s Crosshairs
Trump also added more thoughts about the Guardians in his second post Sunday.
“Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians,” he wrote. “The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change. What he doesn’t understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an Election. Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!”
Matt Dolan is the brother of Guardians chairman and CEO Paul J. Dolan, who has been the franchise’s controlling owner since January 2013. Larry Dolan, Matt and Paul’s father, died in February. Matt Dolan was a Republican member of the Ohio Senate from 2017 to 2024; he made unsuccessful bids for the U.S. Senate in 2022 and 2024.
Guardians president Chris Antonetti released a statement after Trump’s comments. “I understand there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago,” he said. “But it’s a decision we’ve made and we’ve gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and we’re excited about the future that’s in front of us.”
