Donald Trump Backs School in Fight to Keep 'Chiefs' Brand Amid Woke Backlash
Massapequa’s battle cries: keep the Chiefs, crush the woke!
Identity politics continues wrecking sports, but President Donald Trump is fighting against the woke outrage.
US President Donald Trump during a meeting with Giorgia Meloni, Italy's prime minister, not pictured, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Photographer: Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Long Island high school was forced to ditch its "Chiefs" team name after progressives attacked, and Trump vowed in a fiery Truth Social post on Monday to preserve Massapequa High School's identity.
READ: Native American Group Rekindles Fight for Return of 'Washington Redskins'
Native American imagery has long been a target for progressives who care little for sports but demand references to Indians be erased from team names.
Massapeqau, N.Y.: The exterior of Massapequa High School on Long Island, New York on September 10, 2021. (Photo by Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Massapequa, N.Y.: Mural outside or Massapequa High School with imagery of a Native American on Dec. 19, 2024. The district is suing to keep their mascot and invalidate the New York State Regent's school ban on Native American imagery.(Photo by Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
In 2023, New York’s Department of Education mandated that all schools with Native American team connections rebrand, sparking fury in Massapequa.
Locals and supporters, backed by Massapequa School Board President Kerry Wachter, pushed back, filing a lawsuit alongside other towns. Wachter warned the rebrand could cost the school $1 million.
Trump called on Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to reverse the "ridiculous" decision, slamming it as an affront to Native Americans.
The president wrote on Truth Social:
"I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo on their Teams and School. Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population.
"The School Board, and virtually everyone in the area, are demanding the name be kept. It has become the School’s identity and, what could be wrong with using the name, 'Chief'?
"I don’t see the Kansas City Chiefs changing their name anytime soon! By copy of this TRUTH, I am asking my highly capable Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to fight for the people of Massapequa on this very important issue. LONG LIVE THE MASSAPEQUA CHIEFS!"
Nov 22, 2018; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a Washington Redskins helmet and logo before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Similar battles have raged in the NFL and MLB, where the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians were forced to scrub their iconic branding to appease woke critics.
Yet, Native American groups have pushed back, arguing the imagery isn’t offensive. A 2016 Washington Post poll found 90 percent of Native Americans were unbothered by the Redskins’ name.
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