President Trump threatens Commanders’ future unless they make racism great again

Everyone with a shred of common sense has moved on with the Commanders at this point. The team has new owners, they’re thriving on the field, and hope for Washington’s NFL team is at an all-time high. So naturally this is the perfect time for the President of the United States to stir up dumb crap about the team and demand they revert to their old, racist nickname to appeal to a segment of his base.

This went beyond Trump merely saying he prefers the “Redskins” moniker, launching into a tirade on Truth Social against the Commanders, vowing to block funding for their new stadium unless the team goes back to their old name.

Of course, there is no evidence that Native Americans, or “great Indian people” as the president calls them, actually want the nickname to go back. In fact, time, and time, and time again it was widely proven that Native Americans as a whole found the nickname “Redskins” offensive, but why let facts get in the way of your racist feelings?

It’s a stark contrast from a tweet from Trump 12 years ago in which he said “our country has far bigger problems” than worrying about the name of the team.

On the surface Trump’s post on Sunday was simply akin to something your drunk uncle would scream at the Thanksgiving dinner table unprompted, but the president followed up his desire for Washington to go back to its old name by threatening the team’s stadium funding unless they bend to his will.

To be clear: The President of the United States has no power over what happens with the Commanders’ new stadium project, unless of course he wants a significant legal battle. In January of 2025 President Biden signed the “D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act,” which formally leased 180 acres of land inside Washington D.C. from the federal government, to the city government on a 99-year term. This land includes the site of RFK Stadium, which served as the team’s home from 1961 until 1996 — and has been unused since 2007 when the Washington Nationals left the stadium.

Plans for the new Commanders’ stadium involve demolishing RFK Stadium and replacing it with a new venue, at a cost of $2.7B to team ownership for the stadium itself, with an additional $1B being contributed by the city of Washington D.C. to revamp infrastructure, parks, and surrounding areas. The investment by the Commanders is the single-largest private investment in the history of the city, and served as one of the few landmark achievements of how private and public funding for sporting teams should work.

The President of the United States hasn’t had any direct control over the city itself since the “D.C. Home Rule Act” passed in 1973. This stopped short of giving D.C. statehood (which remains a contentious topic), but allowed for self-governance of the city to handle its own business without federal oversight. In this case: The President can’t do anything about a stadium funding agreement with the Commanders, unless he plans to renege on the lease illegally, or overturn the 52-year-old bill dictating Washington D.C’s governance.

Theoretically one of these measures could take place. It would require subverting the law or overturning decades-old legislation, but that wouldn’t be a far cry from business as usual. It’s unclear why Trump has decided to pick this battle up now, but surely it has nothing to do with the fact a portion of his base is turning on him while the president tries to shield the release on information about Jeffrey Epstein’s past associates.