Trump Says There’s ‘Big Clamoring’ For Washington Commanders To Change Name ‘IMMEDIATELY’

President Donald Trump on Sunday called for the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians to revert to their former team names — the Redskins and Indians — citing support from Native American communities.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “The Washington ‘Whatever’s’ should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this. 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. 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!!!” (RELATED: President Trump Wants To See Return Of Iconic Sports Brands, Such As ‘Redskins’)

BREAKING: President Trump calls on the Washington Commanders to change their name back to the Washington Redskins.

“The Washington “Whatever’s” should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team.”

Same goes for the Cleveland Indians. pic.twitter.com/eoe5U9GPGy

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 20, 2025

The Washington NFL franchise changed its name from the Redskins to the Washington Football Team in 2020, before adopting the Commanders name in 2022. The Cleveland baseball team became the Guardians in 2021, moving away from the Indians name used since 1915.

A 2016 Washington Post poll of 504 self-identified Native American adults across the U.S. found that 90% said they were not offended by the Redskins name.

The name changes followed public and corporate pressure to eliminate terms widely viewed as offensive to Native Americans. Both teams have since committed to their current branding.

Commanders owner Josh Harris stated earlier in 2025 that the organization was “going with” the Commanders name, noting that it had been embraced by the team and its fan base. According to a Washington Post poll, fan support for the Commanders name has increased in the past year. Exactly 50% of all residents “like” or “love” the Commanders name, up from 34% a year earlier. Among local sports fans, 61% identified as Commanders fans, up from 45% last year. Specifically, 62% of Commanders fans now express a positive view of the name, compared to just 36% the previous year.

As of now, neither team has responded publicly to Trump’s remarks.