President Donald Trump is living in D.C. but says he's no fan of the Washington Commanders. No, not the NFL team itself — but the nickname.
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Forged for conquest pic.twitter.com/HZWJ8Kf3v8
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) July 3, 2025
"You want me to make a controversial statement?" Trump asked, via Sarah Fortinsky of TheHill.com. " I wouldn't have changed the name (of the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins). It just doesn't have the same ... it doesn't have the same ring to me."
The Commanders began as a franchise back in 1932, back when they played home games in Boston and were known as the Braves. For the three years after that, they became the "Boston Redskins." They moved to Washington in 1937 and were known as the Redskins until 2019.
After all that time, the name was deemed offensive by the media and some fans. So the franchise became known as the Washington Football Team for the 2020 and '21 seasons. They've been the Commanders since 2022.
Trump said the team's lack of consistent playoff success recently probably makes the nickname sound worse — though the Commanders did finish 12-5 last season and advanced to the NFC Championship Game (their first appearance since 1991). More of that, and perhaps the nickname will sound better, Trump suggested.
"But, you know, winning can make everything sound good," Trump said. "So if they win, all of a sudden the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn't have changed the name."
Team owner Josh Harris once said the name would never change back, but some fans and several Native American groups have pushed the franchise to change it back to "Redskins" and bring back the original logo.
"The prospect of a change comes at a time when the Commanders could be going to Trump to help get D.C. to get a deal done that would allow a new facility to be built at the site of RFK Stadium," wrote Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "Which means that, if they ultimately seek his help, they may have to do something in return."
