The Washington Commanders will host President Donald J. Trump for their home game against the Detroit Lions in Week 10, where he is expected to participate in halftime activities honoring the military. And according to one bombshell report, there will also be something else up for discussion.
According to Don Van Natta Jr. and Adam Schefter from ESPN, President Trump is keen for the new Commanders' stadium at the old RFK site to be named in his honor. No formal conversations have taken place as yet, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt outlined her support, claiming that the stadium would not have been possible without his influence.
President Donald J. Trump reportedly wants Commanders' new stadium to be named after him
A senior White House source also stated that when President Trump wants something, he typically gets it. However, nothing has come close to being rubber-stamped yet.
"A senior White House source said there have been backchannel communications with a member of the Commanders ownership group, led by Josh Harris, to express Trump's desire to have the domed stadium in the nation's capital bear his name. The new stadium is being built on the old RFK Stadium site that served as the team's home from 1961 to 1996. The team source said that while the Commanders anticipate possible conversations with Trump about the new stadium during the game, there have been no formal conversations to date."
Don Van Natta Jr. and Adam Schefter
It's been a long time since the Commanders played at their spiritual home. The new $3.7 billion stadium is expected to be completed by 2030, which will be swiftly followed by requests to host the Super Bowl. Again, it seems very early in the process, but the reaction on social media among fans was mixed when the story broke.
While nothing has been confirmed, it's worth monitoring at the very least. Things should become clearer in the coming weeks, months, and years. There may even be an update tomorrow, since the topic will likely come up if President Trump speaks to reporters at Northwest Stadium.
Matters on the field haven't gone well for the Commanders this season, but this remains an ambitious project with lofty goals for the future. The new stadium is their crowning jewel, and that obviously isn't going unnoticed by President Trump. He also has a relationship with Washington's majority owner, Josh Harris, so it'll be interesting to see what comes next.
But as Scott Abraham of 7News DC said, if this is something President Trump truly wants as part of his legacy, it could become a reality.