Trump Threatens Stadium Block Over Washington NFL Name Restoration

President Donald Trump has threatened to block the construction of a new football stadium in Washington unless the NFL team, currently known as the Commanders, reverts to its former controversial name, the Redskins. Trump also urged the Cleveland Guardians baseball team to return to their previous name, the Indians. However, multiple Native American organizations, including the Association on American Indian Affairs and the National Congress of American Indians, have strongly condemned Trump's calls, stating that these names and mascots are offensive, dehumanizing, and disrespectful to Indigenous peoples. These groups emphasize that Indigenous nations are sovereign and contemporary cultures deserving of respect and self-determination, not caricatures or symbols for entertainment. The Washington NFL team retired the Redskins name and logo in 2020 after decades of criticism for its racial insensitivity. While Trump may attempt to influence federal funding or approvals due to Congress's oversight of Washington, he lacks direct authority to block the stadium project.