Jeb Bush: The Washington Redskins should not change their name


Jeb Bush says the Washington Redskins should be able to keep their controversial name despite objections from Native Americans who say the name is racist, according to remarks released Wednesday morning. In an interview with a new radio program called "The Arena," set to be released in full this Friday, Bush said, "I don't think it should change it," adding, "I don't find it offensive. Native American tribes generally don't find it offensive."
He continued:
It's a sport, for crying out loud. It's a football team. Washington has a huge fan base — I'm missing something here, I guess. [ABC]
In point of fact, Native American groups do find the name offensive, staging large protests throughout the country in recent years. Furthermore, the U.S. Patent Office in 2014 canceled the team's trademark for being "disparaging to Native Americans."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bush, the former governor of Florida, defended the Redskins name by noting that Florida State's teams continue to be called the Seminoles. However, the Seminoles are an actual tribe originally from Florida, while Redskins is widely considered a slur.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants