President Trump threatens to block Commanders Stadium deal unless team changes name back to Redskins

Are the Redskins back? This escalated quickly. Everything looked all buddy-buddy back in May when Josh Harris and President Trump were posing in the Oval Office, supposedly aligned on the idea of bringing the NFL Draft to Washington D.C. Fast forward to now, and Trump just threw a grenade into the Commanders’ stadium plans if there isn’t a name change.

On Sunday, Trump took to Truth Social and said what he’s been saying for months: he hates the name Commanders. This time, he upped the ante, threatening to block the team’s new stadium deal if they don’t go back to being the Redskins.

President Trump threatens to block Commanders Stadium deal unless team changes name back to Redskins

Trump calls for Washington and Cleveland to change their names back to the Redskins and Indians. 97% of you agreed both teams should do this in a recent poll I ran on here. pic.twitter.com/d7RTpoq0XF

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) July 20, 2025

“I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original Washington Redskins… I won’t make a deal for them to build a stadium in Washington,” Trump posted.

Not exactly subtle. The Commanders reached a deal in April to redevelop the 170-acre RFK Stadium site into a new stadium, plus housing, green space, and more. It turned out to be a smooth $3.8 billion mega project.

The Commanders are set to fund $2.7 billion, with D.C. kicking in another $1.1 billion.

Now that whole thing might get derailed over six letters: R-E-D-S-K-I-N-S.

Congress handed over administrative control of the land earlier this year, but the D.C. City Council already missed a key vote deadline, and Trump’s threat just turned this already-shaky situation into a full-on political standoff.

Commanders Say ‘No Thanks’ to a Name Change

I will say, putting political pressure on Josh Harris warms my heart. Despite that pressure however, Harris is sticking to his guns and doubled-down in February.

“The name Commanders means something… It’s embraced by our team, our culture, our coaching staff.”

Thinking that “Commanders” means something to anyone is laugh out loud funny. Public sentiment obviously says otherwise. An April 2024 poll of Washington fans showed 58% preferred ‘Redskins’ over Commanders.

Not exactly overwhelming support for the rebrand.

That’s before you even get into the long-debated polling of Native Americans, which even the Washington Post has reported showed a majority weren’t offended by the original name.

This isn’t even about politics, it’s about common sense

This isn’t even about Trump. This is about someone finally standing up and saying what fans have been screaming for years. Honestly, I know people won’t agree with me and that’s perfectly fine but the name “Redskins” got caught up in the Woke Wave. I really don’t think it was racist or offensive to the people it was supposedly targeting. The people who supposedly demanded the change weren’t even football fans to begin with.

The name Redskins had legacy, meaning, and pride. Commanders feels like a temporary placeholder until someone in the front office finally grows a backbone. If Trump’s threat is what it takes to restore some sanity and bring back the Redskins, then so be it.

The Washington Redskins had one of the most iconic names in football. The Washington Commanders is just a name waiting to be forgotten.

President Trump Isn’t Bluffing

This isn’t just about a name. It’s about leverage. Trump’s not known for empty threats. If he says he’ll block the deal unless the name changes, it’s probably worth listening, especially since a decent chunk of the fanbase agrees with him.

So What Happens Next?

Trump has made it clear. If Josh Harris wants his shiny new stadium in D.C., he might have to put Redskins back on the helmet. Otherwise, the Commanders could be looking at Plan B. It’s going to be fascinating to see who blinks first. This fight just got political, personal, and very public.

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