It's the one thing Washington Commanders fans have longed to get back again, a stadium in their own city, but could that dream turned reality be in jeopardy?
According to President Donald Trump, that could be the case.
On July 20, President Trump took to Truth Social to state that the organization should change its team name back to the Washington Redskins, claiming, "There is a big clamoring for this."
"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," said President Trump.
Hours later, President Trump posted again on Truth Social threatening to restrict the organization if the name does not change.
"I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins,' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a stadium in Washington," President Trump said.
Back in April, the Commanders and Washington, D.C. reached an agreement to build the stadium on the RFK campus.
The stadium is expected to seat 65,000 fans and is planned to open in 2030, with the goal of it being used as a year-round venue.
In addition to demanding a name change for the Commanders, President Trump said that the Cleveland Guardians, a Major League Baseball team, should go back to being the Cleveland Indians, a name they changed in 2021 due to reasons similar to the Commanders.
Trump's current remarks towards both organizations seem to contradict a statement he made on Twitter, now known as X, back in 2013 when he called out leadership for worrying about the name "The Washington Redskins."
"President should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name-our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them, not nonsense," he said.
Back in 2020, the Commanders dropped the Redskins moniker following years of complaints over its racist connotations toward Native Americans. The name of the team then changed to the "Washington Football Team," a name that didn't really last long.
In 2022, they officially made the change to become the Washington Commanders.
While the President makes these demands, it seems that both the Cleveland Guardians and the Washington D.C. leaders are more focused on the future.
Per Scripps News Group, Cleveland Guardians' president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti, says he understands that there are different perspectives, but he's looking to the future.
According to ESPN, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that she is confident the Commanders will return to the city despite Trump's threats.
White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Trump was serious about potentially blocking the Washington Commanders' deal for a new stadium.
"Sports is one of the many passions of this president, and he wants to see the name of that team changed," Leavitt said. "I think you've seen the president gets involved in a lot of things that most presidents have not. He's a non-traditional president."
Although it is not clear how President Trump could get involved with the deal, the D.C. City Council is currently debating the proposal for the stadium, which must be approved by this summer, per ABC News.
WMAR reached out to Governor Moore's Office for comment on Trump's remarks, to which they replied, "no comment."
