Karoline Leavitt Is Asked If Trump Is Serious About Blocking Commanders Stadium Deal
'The president was serious,' Leavitt told reporters Monday while answering questions on the White House driveway. 'And it's part of the art of the deal, part of his negotiating skills as you know. Sports is one of the many passions of this president and he wants to see the name of that team changed.'
Asked why he's getting involved, Leavitt called Trump a 'nontraditional president' and said sports fans are behind him on this.
'I think you've seen the president gets involved in a lot of things that most presidents have not,' Leavitt said. 'He's a nontraditional president. He likes to see results on behalf of the American people and, if you actually poll this issue with sports fans across the country, and even in this city, people actually do support the president's position on this and the name change.'
After former President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress late last year to transfer land from the federal government to the District of Columbia, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the team reached an agreement in April to build on the site of the old RFK Stadium. That is still pending approval by the Council of the District of Columbia.
'I think the thing that we should focus on in D.C. is doing our part,' Bowser said. 'I have worked for the better part of 10 years to get our part completed, including getting control of the land, coming to an agreement with the team and advancing a fantastic agreement to the council, so we need to do our part.'
Dan Snyder, who had said multiple times as owner since 1999 that he would never change the name, did so in July 2020 after facing mounting pressure from sponsors and critics. Washington Football Team was used for two seasons before Commanders was unveiled as the permanent name in early 2022.
Josh Harris, whose group bought the team from Snyder in 2023, said earlier this year the Commanders name was here to stay.
Savannah Romero, co-founder and deputy director of the Black Liberation-Indigenous Sovereignty Collective, said in a statement Monday responding to Trump that 'Native Americans are not mascots.'
'To equate Native people with cartoonish mascots alongside animals is a gross and ongoing tactic of dehumanization,' said Romero, who is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone Nation.
The National Congress of American Indians has since 1950 considered eradicating Native-themed mascots one of its priorities. President Mark Macarro called any attempt to purport to speak for Native communities 'an affront to tribal sovereignty.'
'Imagery and fan behaviors that mock, demean, and dehumanize Native people have no place in modern society,' Macarro said in a statement. 'NCAI will continue to stand in support of the dignity and humanity of Native peoples.'
At least one organization, the Native American Guardians Association, has filed petitions to bring back the Redskins and Cleveland Indians names.
A handful of fans who were asked by The Associated Press for their opinion generally dismissed Trump's comments. Ender Tuncay, who grew up in the Washington area and returns to visit family, called it 'typical Trump stupidity.'
'It's just him focusing on things that aren't consequential and trying to distract from the actual issues that are going on,' Tuncay said, adding he does not care what the name is. 'But I'd like them to get the new stadium, for sure. I like this site where it is. My parents used to tell me stories of how great RFK was back when we were really, really good.'
Ford Flemmings, who worked as a vendor at the old RFK Stadium, said everyone is on the bandwagon with the name Commanders now that the team is winning.
'I liked Washington when it was just plain Washington,' Flemmings said. 'If they change their name, so be it. I'll still be a Washington (fan), whatever the Washington team is.'
Related...
Trump Makes Ominous Threat To Washington Commanders
Social Media Wonders Why Trump Suddenly Cares About Washington Commanders Team Name
NFL Rookie Sensation Stuns Top Seed Lions In Playoffs
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
College football recruiting rankings have a new No. 1
The Georgia Bulldogs have the best recruiting class in the SEC for several weeks and now, after a recent recruiting rankings update, the Dawgs have the best recruiting class in the country. Georgia recently surpassed the USC Trojans. USC had held the nation's top recruiting class for several months. The Big Ten has three of the nation's top 10 recruiting classes while the SEC has five top 10 recruiting classes including four of the top six. Of course, it is still early in the process for the class of 2026. The early signing period does not begin until December and recruiting powerhouses need to prove themselves on the field this fall in order to secure top recruiting classes. Despite having the top ranked recruiting class, Georgia is no lock to finish the cycle with the best recruiting class. Georgia has more commitments than any other team with a top 10 recruiting class outside of USC. Additionally, Georgia's average commitment is ranked lower than the average LSU, Alabama or Oregon commitment. The LSU Tigers have just 16 commitments, but have the highest ranked average commitment (93.67) of any top 10 recruiting team on 247Sports. Class of 2026 college football recruiting rankings Georgia Bulldogs (30 commitments) USC Trojans (31 commitments) Texas A&M Aggies (23 commitments) Alabama Crimson Tide (21 commitments) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (26 commitments) Texas Longhorns (26 commitments) Ohio State Buckeyes (21 commitments) LSU Tigers (16 commitments) Michigan Wolverines (21 commitments) Miami Hurricanes (22 commitments) All recruiting rankings are per 247Sports and are as of July 27. This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Georgia football now has the nation's No. 1 recruiting class
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Europe reacts with mix of relief and concern to US trade deal
By Philip Blenkinsop and Sudip Kar-Gupta BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European governments and companies reacted with both relief and concern on Monday to the framework trade deal struck with U.S. President Donald Trump, acknowledging what was seen as an unbalanced deal but one that avoided a deeper trade war. The agreement, announced on Sunday between two economies that account for almost a third of global trade, will see the U.S. impose a 15% import tariff on most EU goods - half the threatened rate but much more than what Europeans hoped for. Many of the specifics of the deal were not immediately known, however. "As we await full details of the new EU–U.S. trade agreement, one thing is clear: this is a moment of relief but not of celebration," Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever wrote on X. "Tariffs will increase in several areas and some key questions remain unresolved." Trump said the deal, including an investment pledge topping the $550 billion deal signed with Japan last week, would expand ties between the trans-Atlantic powers after years of what he called unfair treatment of U.S. exporters. It will bring clarity for European makers of cars, planes and chemicals. But the EU had initially hoped for a zero-for-zero tariff deal. And the 15% baseline tariff, while an improvement on the threatened rate of 30%, compares to an average U.S. import tariff rate of around 2.5% last year before Trump's return to the White House. European Commission chief Von der Leyen, describing Trump as a tough negotiator, told reporters on Sunday that it was "the best we could get". European stocks opened up on Monday, with the STOXX 600 at a four-month high and all other major bourses also in the green. Tech and healthcare stocks led the way. "The 15% rate is better than the market was fearing," said Jefferies economist Mohit Kumar. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal, saying it averted a trade conflict that would have hit Germany's export-driven economy and its large auto sector hard. MORE CLARITY, BUT 'NOT THE END OF THE STORY' French government ministers said on Monday that the deal had some merits - such as exemptions they hoped to see for some key French business sectors such as spirits - but was nevertheless not balanced. Industry minister Marc Ferracci stressed more talks - potentially lasting weeks or months - would be needed before the deal could be formally concluded. "This is not the end of the story," he told RTL radio. European companies, meanwhile, were left wondering whether to cheer or lament the accord. "Those who expect a hurricane are grateful for a storm," said Wolfgang Große Entrup, head of the German Chemical Industry Association VCI. "Further escalation has been avoided. Nevertheless, the price is high for both sides. European exports are losing competitiveness. U.S. customers are paying the tariffs," he said. Stellantis shares were up 3.5% and car parts maker Valeo jumped 4.7% while German pharma group Merck KGaA rose 2.9%, in a sign of relief for those sectors. Among the many questions that remain to be answered, however, is how the EU's promise to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. and steeply increase energy purchases can be turned into reality. It was not immediately clear if specific pledges of increased investments were made or whether the details still must be hammered out. And while the EU pledged to make $750 billion in strategic purchases over the next three years, including oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and nuclear fuel, the U.S. will struggle to produce enough to meet that demand. While U.S. LNG production capacity is due to almost double over the next four years it will still not be enough to ramp up supplies to Europe, and oil production is expected to be lower than previously forecast this year. Despite the lingering unknowns, analysts stressed the deal still helped decrease uncertainty. Oil prices rose on Monday, as did the euro. "Now that there is more clarity, you would think that not only in the United States, but around the globe, there will be a little bit more willingness to look at investment, to look at expansions, and to look at where the opportunities are," said Rodrigo Catril, senior currency strategist at National Australia Bank. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dollar stablecoins threaten Europe's monetary autonomy, ECB blog argues
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -The dollar's early dominance of stablecoins gives the U.S. an advantage that could ultimately push up borrowing costs for Europe, reduce the ECB's autonomy and increase geopolitical dependency on the U.S., an ECB blog post argued on Monday. Stablecoins, crypto assets pegged to a currency such as the dollar, have gained popularity in recent years and got a big boost earlier this month when U.S. President Donald Trump signed a law to create a regulatory regime, aimed at cementing the dollar's status as the global reserve currency. "Such dominance of the U.S. dollar would provide the United States with strategic and economic advantages, allowing it to finance its debt more cheaply while exerting global influence," ECB adviser Jürgen Schaaf said in a post that does not necessarily reflect the ECB's own views. "For Europe, this would mean higher financing costs relative to the United States, reduced monetary policy autonomy and geopolitical dependency," he added. If dollar-based stablecoins become widely used in the euro area, for payments, savings or settlement, the ECB's control over monetary conditions could be weakened, Schaaf argued. Dollar-pegged stablecoins issued by Tether and Circle have dominated the global market and the share of euro-denominated stablecoins remains marginal, with market capitalisation of less than 350 million euros, the blog post said. Europe should thus act quickly, creating the digital version of its euro currency, a project, that is being held up by legislative delays, and should foster the creation of more euro-based stablecoins. The EU should also foster the use of distributed ledger technology to speed up cheap cross-border payments, the blog argued. "Finally, stronger global coordination on stablecoin regulation is pivotal," the blog said. "If we forgo a common approach, we risk fuelling instability, regulatory arbitrage and global U.S. dollar dominance." Sign in to access your portfolio
