What happened
President Donald Trump has threatened to derail plans to construct a new stadium for the Washington Commanders unless the NFL team changes its name back to the "Redskins." The team dropped the moniker in 2020, after years of pressure from Native American groups who said it amplified racist stereotypes.
Who said what
"The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back," Trump said on Truth Social. Otherwise "I won't make a deal for them" to build the stadium. And the Cleveland Guardians baseball team should revert back to being the "Indians" because "our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen." Neither team has indicated that they plan to follow Trump's orders.
The $2.7 billion deal to re-locate the Commanders back to Washington is "the single largest private investment" in D.C. history, according to the D.C. mayor's office. It's "unclear" how the president could restrict it, said CNN. Trump currently has "limited authority to intervene" due to D.C.'s "home rule" law, said Reuters, but he has "raised the prospect of taking more control."
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What next?
The stadium deal is "stalled before the D.C. Council," said CNN. The House Oversight Committee has pressured Council Chairman Phil Mendelson to get it done before the council goes on recess in August. Public hearings on the stadium are scheduled for July 29 and 30.
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