Trump Is 'Serious' About His Push To Return Redskins Nickname And He's Getting Support

You were triggered when you looked up from your New York Times on Sunday and saw President Donald Trump not just suggesting the Washington Commanders change their nickname back to Redskins, but threatening to affect the team's ability to build a stadium on the old RFK Stadium site if they don't.

When you stopped sobbing, you sought solace in hoping the issue wouldn't amount to much. It was, you hoped, just Trump being Trump on social media.

Sorry, snowflake.

Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, July 21, 2025. Leavitt said President Trump was "caught off guard" by recent Israeli military actions such as its bombing in Syria and its strike on a Catholic church in Gaza. Photographer: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Press Secretary Leavitt Spits Facts

"The president was serious," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday while answering questions on the White House driveway. "Sports is one of the many passions of this president, and he wants to see the name of that team changed."

The fact Trump has turned this into an issue when, you know, Russia and Ukraine are still fighting, Marxists are threatening to become the mayors in New York and Minneapolis, and the Federal Reserve Chairman is costing the country billions of dollars, is vexing to some Americans.

Some on the left prefer Trump spend his time giving illegals a break instead of giving the Commanders a hard time.

And some on the right want him to fit the people at that 2016 Obama Oval Office meeting in orange jumpsuits instead of a football team in its traditional uniform and logo.

So why is this busy man getting involved in sports at all, much less in the nickname of an NFL team?

Trump Is A ‘Nontraditional President’

Well, beside the fact Trump is the most sports-minded president in recent memory, Leavitt called him a "nontraditional president" and said sports fans are behind him on this.

"I think you’ve seen the president gets involved in a lot of things that most presidents have not," Leavitt said. "He’s a nontraditional president. He likes to see results on behalf of the American people and, if you actually poll this issue with sports fans across the country, and even in this city, people actually do support the president’s position on this and the name change."

Yeah, and now New York Times subscribers not named Clay Travis are freaking.

That's because there is support for the name to be changed back, even as people on the left continue to insist Redskins is an offensive term.

Issue Pits Commanders Vs. Redskins

Native Americans are themselves divided on the issue, with multiple polls done on both sides suggesting an advantage for the side paying for the particular poll.

The Native American Guardians Association, for example, has filed petitions to bring back the Redskins and Cleveland Indians nicknames. The organization says it has 152,000 signatures.

Trump is also getting support, not surprisingly, from within his own administration – most prominently HUD Secretary Scott Turner.

Turner played seven years in the NFL. And his three seasons in Washington made him feel some sort of way about the nickname issue.

HUD's Scott Turner: Bring Redskins Back

"I played in the NFL and was drafted by the Washington Redskins," Turner wrote on X. "Not the ‘Washington Football Team' or the ‘Washington Commanders.’

"@Potus is right. It's time to bring the Redskins' name back."

Commanders owner Josh Harris said in February the Commanders nickname was growing on people, and he expected that to continue as the club continued to improve. The Commanders are hoping to take the next step in their development after playing in the NFC Championship game last season.

But Turner is not the only former Washington player who feels this way. Last season, as the Commanders were making their playoff push, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Mark Rypien was asked by 106.7 TheFan in D.C. what he thought of the Commanders nickname.

"It’s not growing on me, and it never will," Rypien said. "I’m not a Commanders legend, I'm a Redskins legend. But we’ll support this thing because it’s where we are now."

Perhaps not for long.