Never one to hold back his opinions, President Trump demanded that the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians revert to their former team names.
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In a Truth Social rant, the world leader criticized both teams for changing their team names.
“The Washington ‘Whatevers’ should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team,” Trump stated. “There is a big clamoring for this.”
He then turned his attention to the Cleveland Guardians, which had previously been known as the Cleveland Indians. “Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, have a storied past. Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen.”
Continuing to speak for the Indigenous people, President Trump stated, “Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. 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!!!”
President Trump spoke out about the Washington Commanders’ rebranding earlier his month.
“I wouldn’t have changed the name,” Trump told reporters when asked about the team’s plans to move their stadium within Washington, DC. “It just doesn’t have the same, it doesn’t have the same ring to me.”
He then noted, “But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So if they win, all of a sudden the Commanders sound good, but I wouldn’t have changed the name.”
Former Washington player Jason Buck appears to agree with Trump’s statement. “It’s like your grandma passed away,” he said while talking about the name change to TMZ Sports. “And your grandpa marries a new woman, and she comes in and takes the pictures out of the house and puts hers up.”
“It’s like, you just lost your family,” he added. “It was devastating to everybody.”
Both Teams Debuted Their New Names in 2022
The Washington Commanders rebranded from the Redskins in 2022 following years of controversy. The team struggled to find a name and used the Washington Football Team during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians also rebranded from the Indians following the 2021 MLB season. Guardians were officially implemented for the 2022 season.
Former Commanders owner Dan Snyder has long supported the name change. “The Commanders’ name actually has taken on an amazing kind of element in our building,” he said on Fox News’ Special Report this past April. “So, the people that certain types of players that are tough, that love football, are delegated Commanders and Jayden [Daniels], for example, is a Commander, and they’re ranked.
“And, you know, the business staff has gotten into it, and obviously, we’re in a military city here,” he continued. “There’s more military personnel than anywhere else, so we’re kind of moving forward with the Commanders’ name, excited about that, and not looking back.”
The team’s current owner, Josh Harris, also stands by the Commanders’ name. He recently said the name actually has taken on an “amazing kind of element.”
The Guardians is the fifth name in the MLB team’s history. Before the Indians, the team was called the Blues in 1901, the Bronchos in 1902, and the Naps from 1903 to 1914.
Cleveland Guardians’ team owner Paul Dolan said the change was “an awakening or epiphany” during racial unrest following the death of George Floyd in 2020.