logo
Trump threatens to restrict stadium deal with Washington Commanders if they don't change name back to ‘Redskins'

Trump threatens to restrict stadium deal with Washington Commanders if they don't change name back to ‘Redskins'

RNZ News4 days ago
By
Kit Maher
, CNN
Washington Commanders runs off the field after being sacked on a fourth down while playing the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter in the NFC Championship Game.
Photo:
EMILEE CHINN
President Donald Trump has escalated his call for the Washington Commanders to change their name back to the "Redskins", threatening to restrict the NFL team's stadium deal if they don't, though it's unclear how he would be able to.
"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The organisation left Washington for Landover, Maryland, in 1997, but DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and the team announced a deal in April to bring the Commanders back to the district at the site of the old Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. Trump touted the deal at the time, but the proposal is stalled before the DC Council.
Speaking to reporters last week, Bowser urged the DC Council to "make moves" on the deal, adding that "the Commanders are anxious" about it.
Trump expressed openness earlier this month to helping out if the DC Council does not approve the deal.
"It's a great piece of property, so we'll see. But if I can help them out, I would. …The federal government ultimately controls it," Trump said.
In late 2024, lawmakers in Congress passed a bill to transfer ownership of the RFK site from the federal government to the district's government.
"The owner is very, very successful and a very good man," Trump continued.
"It would be a great place for the NFL to be there, I can tell you that."
A bust of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands outside RFK Stadium, defunct and currently under demolition, in Washington, DC.
Photo:
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
Earlier on Sunday (US Time), the president initially referred to the football team as the "Washington 'Whatever's'" and urged the owners to "IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team."
CNN has reached out to the Commanders and the DC mayor's office for comment on Trump's posts.
Trump's comments went further than ones he made earlier this month, when he told reporters the Commanders' name should be changed back to the Redskins, something he acknowledged was a "controversial statement."
"It doesn't have the same ring to me," he said.
"But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So, if they win, all of a sudden, the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn't have changed it."
The Commanders aren't the only team moniker Trump wants reverted.
Donald Trump told reporters the Commanders' name should be changed back to the Redskins, something he acknowledged was a "controversial statement".
Photo:
Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg/Getty Images via CNN Newsource
Trump also put the pressure on the Cleveland Guardians to change their name back to the "Indians", claiming that the "Indian people" want the Guardians to be the "Indians" yet again.
The names were changed as part of a larger cultural shift as corporate brands re-examined their use of racist caricatures and stereotypical names, but Trump argued on Sunday that "times are different now".
"Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen. Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them," Trump said.
"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!!!"
And in a later post on Sunday, Trump claimed Matt Dolan, a former Ohio state lawmaker whose family owns the Guardians, "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)!" Trump added, a riff on his "Make America Great Again," or MAGA, slogan.
CNN has reached out to the Cleveland Guardians for comment.
The Washington football team dropped the "Redskins" name in 2020 after decades of criticism from Native American groups that said it was an ethnic slur and a derogatory reference to skin colour. Two years later it unveiled the "Commanders" name.
The Cleveland baseball team announced its name change in 2021, after similar criticism from Native Americans over the "Indians" moniker.
- CNN
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Photojournalism's power on display at Auckland's World Press Photo Exhibition
Photojournalism's power on display at Auckland's World Press Photo Exhibition

NZ Herald

timean hour ago

  • NZ Herald

Photojournalism's power on display at Auckland's World Press Photo Exhibition

Members of the United States Secret Service help Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump off the stage moments after a bullet from a would-be assassin's gun hit one of his ears during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. Photo / The Washington Post Donald Trump may dismiss much of the media as 'fake news', but it was the power of images that arguably secured his second presidential term. When the Republican nominee rose with a bloodied face after the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, photos like Jabin Botsford's for the Washington Post likely

US 'will sell so much' beef to Australia after relaxed restrictions: Trump
US 'will sell so much' beef to Australia after relaxed restrictions: Trump

Otago Daily Times

timean hour ago

  • Otago Daily Times

US 'will sell so much' beef to Australia after relaxed restrictions: Trump

The United States will sell "so much" beef to Australia, US President Donald Trump said today after Canberra relaxed import restrictions. He added that other countries that refused US beef products were on notice. Australia on Thursday said it would loosen biosecurity rules for US beef, something analysts predicted would not significantly increase US shipments because Australia is a major beef producer and exporter whose prices are much lower. "We are going to sell so much to Australia because this is undeniable and irrefutable Proof that US Beef is the Safest and Best in the entire World," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "The other Countries that refuse our magnificent Beef are ON NOTICE," the post continued. Trump has attempted to renegotiate trade deals with numerous countries he says have taken advantage of the United States – a characterisation many economists dispute. "For decades, Australia imposed unjustified barriers on US beef," US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement, calling Australia's decision a "major milestone in lowering trade barriers and securing market access for US farmers and ranchers." Australia is not a significant importer of beef, but the United States is, and a production slump is forcing it to step up purchases. Last year, Australia shipped almost 400,000 metric tons of beef worth $US2.9 billion ($NZ4.8 billion) to the United States, with just 269 tons of US product moving the other way. Australian officials say the relaxation of restrictions was not part of any trade negotiations but the result of a years-long assessment of US biosecurity practices. Canberra has restricted US beef imports since 2003 due to concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease. Since 2019, it has allowed in meat from animals born, raised and slaughtered in the US but few suppliers were able to prove that their cattle had not been in Canada and Mexico. On Wednesday, Australia's agriculture ministry said US cattle traceability and control systems had improved enough that Australia could accept beef from cattle born in Canada or Mexico and slaughtered in the United States. The decision has caused some concern in Australia, where biosecurity is seen as essential to prevent diseases and pests from ravaging the farm sector. "We need to know if [the government] is sacrificing our high biosecurity standards just so Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can obtain a meeting with US President Donald Trump," shadow agriculture minister David Littleproud said in a statement. Australia, which imports more from the US than it exports, faces a 10% across-the-board US tariff, as well 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium. Trump has also threatened to impose a 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals. Asked whether the change would help achieve a trade deal, Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said: "I'm not too sure." "We haven't done this in order to entice the Americans into a trade agreement," he said. "We think that they should do that anyway."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store