President Donald Trump has increased pressure on the Cleveland Guardians and Washington Commanders, urging them to revert to their former names: Indians and Redskins, respectively. On Sunday, he aired his feelings on social media, indicating that a name change would be a move driven by “common sense.” He suggested that it could impact decisions related to the Commanders’ RFK Stadium deal.
Ohio Republican Rep. Brian Lorenz seemed to echo Trump’s sentiments. In one X post, Trump lamented the loss of the Chief Wahoo mascot, saying, “You’re ruining Chief Wahoo and don’t expect Cleveland to forget.” He argued that the teams changed their names not due to fan requests, but because of pressure from elites, adding, “It’s time to get back what made us us.” He claimed there was a significant demand to return to the previous names.
Trump addressed his concerns about the Washington team in another post. “There is a great appeal to this,” he mentioned, noting that the Cleveland Indians hold a historically significant position in baseball as one of the original teams. He insisted that the legacy of the Indians is being unfairly diminished and that the current climate feels different from just a few years ago.
Trump escalated his remarks by suggesting consequences for the Commanders if they didn’t revert to the Redskins name. He maintained that if Matt Dolan, the owner of the Guardians, changed the name back to Indians, it could even positively influence his political prospects. Trump described the treatment of the Indians as grossly unfair and called for a revitalization of their identity.
The team known as the Indians has held that name since 1915, with Dolan previously attributing the name change to a wave of social awareness following George Floyd’s death. The franchise had gone by various names prior to becoming the Indians, including the Blues and Nap. Responses to Trump’s remarks have come from within the organization, with Parent President Chris Antonetti stating that their focus is elsewhere, and there would be no additional comments on the matter.
