Trump says NFL's Washington Commanders must change name. But do Americans agree?
In a series of posts on Truth Social on July 20, the president took aim at the NFL's Washington Commanders and MLB's Cleveland Guardians. Both franchises rebranded several years ago due to concerns about the use of Native American names and imagery.
Referring to the former, he said, '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.'' He also threatened to block a deal allowing the team to construct a new stadium in Washington, D.C.
'Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians,' Trump added. 'MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!'
However, while Americans are divided over the name changes, a majority oppose the president's statement and his involvement in the matter, according to a new YouGov poll.
Agree or disagree with Trump statement?
In the survey — which sampled 4,162 U.S. adults on July 21 — 58% of respondents said they strongly (48%) or somewhat (10%) disapproved of Trump's statement.
Meanwhile, one-quarter said they strongly (13%) or somewhat (12%) approve, and 16% said they were unsure.
The question prompted a significant partisan divide. Most Democrats and independents — 84% and 62%, respectively — said they opposed the statement, while 55% of Republicans said they favored it.
Should president get involved?
Additionally, nearly two-thirds of respondents, 65%, said it is unacceptable for the president 'to tell a professional sports team to change its name.'
Just 15% described this as acceptable, and 21% said they weren't sure, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.
Here, again, there was a noticeable divide across the political spectrum.
Most Democrats and independents — 88% and 65% — said the president's weighing in is not acceptable. Republicans were more evenly split, with 38% calling it unacceptable and 32% labeling it as acceptable.
Should teams have changed names?
Despite widespread opposition to Trump's involvement in the matter, pluralities of respondents said they were against both teams changing their names.
Forty-three percent of respondents said they strongly (29%) or somewhat (14%) disapproved of the Washington Redskins — who played as the Washington Football Team during the 2020 and 2021 seasons — rebranding as the Commanders. Meanwhile, 34% said they strongly (21%) or somewhat (13%) approved.
Similarly, 42% of poll respondents said they strongly (28%) or somewhat (14%) disapproved of the Cleveland Indians being renamed the Guardians. In contrast, 30% said they strongly (16%) or somewhat (14%) approved the decision.
On both counts, Republicans were far more likely than Democrats and independents to oppose the name changes.
The rebrandings were the result of years of deliberations. In 2020, the two teams announced they would review their names, following nationwide racial injustice protests, prompted by the death of George Floyd, according to USA Today.
In 2021, Cleveland picked its new name, the Guardians, inspired by the stone traffic guardians on a bridge in the city, according to the Associated Press.
The following year, Washington's football team followed suit, announcing its new name, the Commanders, in honor of the capital's military ties.
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