US President Donald Trump favors going back to Washington Commanders' old NFL team name, says new name 'doesn't have the same ring'

7 hours ago

President Donald Trump (via Getty Images)
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.'
'You Want Me To Make A Controversial Statement?': Trump Lets Loose On Washington Commanders' Name
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.
Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.

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Rubio Heads to Malaysia for Summit Under Shadow of Tariffs

Mint

24 minutes ago

Mint

Rubio Heads to Malaysia for Summit Under Shadow of Tariffs

(Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to make his first trip to Asia as the top US diplomat this week, heading to a regional summit in Malaysia a day after President Donald Trump threatened a new 25% tariff on the country and several others. Rubio flies to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday for a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. While he'd prefer to keep the focus on security issues and competition with China, the trip will take place under the shadow of Trump's latest tariff gambit. On Monday, the president unveiled the first of several promised letters that threaten higher tariffs rates on key trading partners, including levies of 25% on goods from Japan and South Korea — as well as Malaysia and Kazakhstan — beginning Aug. 1. Fellow Asean members Laos and Myanmar will see tariffs of 40% if Trump delivers on his threat. Trump had set July 9 for the expiration of a 90-day pause on higher trade levies. He initially rolled out reciprocal tariffs in early April, but the White House reversed course, froze those rates at 10% for three months, and opened negotiations amid tumbling markets and fears of a US recession. A senior State Department official told reporters Monday that the July 9 deadline will pass while Rubio is traveling to Malaysia, and said the department doesn't lead negotiations for bilateral deals. Still, the secretary will echo the White House's message on tariffs, the official said, defending the need to rebalance US trade relationships. Former trade negotiator Barbara Weisel said partners would focus on the meetings' formal agenda and separate their broader relationship from trade tensions. 'But privately, countries that are hit with tariffs over 10% almost certainly will raise their frustration and anger at the US,' said Weisel, now a scholar with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Rubio 'is focused on reaffirming the United States' commitment to advancing a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific region,' the State Department said in a statement before the latest tariffs were announced. Rubio will also likely face questions about Trump's threat Sunday to impose an additional 10% tariff on any country that aligns itself with what he called the 'anti-American policies' of the BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Indonesia became a full BRICS member in January, while Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand joined as partner nations. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected at the Asean summit, as is Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is confirmed. President Vladimir Putin's government, entrenched in the war in Ukraine, is deepening ties in Southeast Asia through energy and defense deals. For weeks, the administration has indicated its tariffs would revert to their higher April 2 levels for countries that failed to strike accords aimed at reducing US trade imbalances. Other nations will seek to follow the example of Asean member Vietnam, which last week reached a deal for a 20% tariff on its exports — compared with a 46% duty originally threatened — though goods deemed to be transshipped face a 40% rate — a provision largely aimed at China. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has suggested that some countries lacking an agreement by the July 9 deadline would be able to negotiate until the tariffs are scheduled to kick in on Aug. 1. While the job of negotiating trade deals falls mainly to Bessent and others, Rubio is one of the first Trump cabinet members to travel to Asia. (Updates with additional details of visit, Trump's Brics threat.) More stories like this are available on