It wasn’t so long ago that the Washington Commanders were refereed to as the Redskins. The name change was made to be more considerate of Native Americans and to fight back against perpetuating stereotypes.
However, United States President Donald Trump doesn’t seem to think that the name change needed to be made.
“You want me to make a controversial statement?” Trump said, according to Pro Football Talk. “I would. I wouldn’t have changed the name. It just doesn’t have the same, it doesn’t have the same ring to me.”
Fans reacted to Trump’s statement on social media.
“I’m pretty confident that Florio has a lot less Native American blood running through his veins than I. White, liberal, beta males offended by the Redskins name still wear a mask (alone) when driving to work,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Will do something only because he wants something for himself. Harris would never risk alienating fans naming the stadium after Trump, who will think the NFL will want him to do this & he’ll try to use that as public leverage to get a team. Then he’ll settle for money,” another fan added.
“The government has already leased the land back to the city (99 year lease). So no further involvement from the Fed, just the team and DC (really the council) trying to hammer out a deal,” one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see if the organization responds to President Trump.