President Donald Trump wants the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians to roll it back, and in a fiery Truth Social post on Sunday, he demanded the teams revert to their former names, calling the current ones “ridiculous” and accusing them of erasing American heritage.
“The Washington ‘Whatever’s’ should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this,” Trump wrote.
“Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past. Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen. Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them.”
He added, “Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS, GET IT DONE!!!”
The Commanders didn’t comment, but Guardians president Chris Antonetti told The Athletic:
“Not something I’m tracking or paying a lot of attention to… But it’s a decision we made and we’ve gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and we’re excited about the future.”
Trump later doubled down, saying he might block a stadium deal if Washington doesn’t revert to its old name.
“I may put a restriction on them… I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,” he wrote. “Cleveland should do the same with the Cleveland Indians… The Owner… Matt Dolan… has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change… Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!”
Both teams changed their names following the 2020 racial justice protests. The “Redskins” had long faced backlash for being perceived as a racial slur, while “Guardians” pays homage to local Cleveland architecture.
