President Donald Trump wants the Washington Commanders to name their new stadium in his honour, according to reports.
ESPN reported a senior White House official saying there had been back-channel conversation with the Commanders’ ownership group, led by Josh Harris, to discuss Trump’s wish.
The official said: “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen.”
The NFL team is building a new venue on the site of the old RFK Stadium, which was the Commanders’ home from 1961 to 1996.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ESPN on Friday: “That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible.” She did not confirm or deny the reports or answer additional questions.
A team source told ESPN that the focus is on preparing for Trump’s visit to the Commanders’ home game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon, where he will be a guest of Harris and when the subject of naming the stadium is likely to come up. The Commanders declined to formally comment on the rumours surrounding the name.
Trump previously threatened to block the construction of the new stadium unless the team returned to their previous name the Redskins. It dropped the moniker, considered offensive to some Native American groups, in 2020 under the leadership of former owner Dan Snyder.
Despite Trump’s threat, the District of Columbia Council voted 11-2 in September to approve the build, and will invest $1bn in the project. The Commanders will contribute $2.7bn, plus cost overruns, to building the 65,000-seat venue, which is slated to open in 2030.
ESPN reported the White House source saying of Trump: “He has cards to play. He can make it very difficult, through government environmental approvals and other things, to make sure everyone who wants this stadium to be built will join to put his name on it. Trump has plenty of cards to play to get his way.”
Trump reportedly does not want to buy the name or have a corporate sponsor buy it for him, but rather, the president wants the team to name it after him as thanks for approving its construction.
However, the Commanders cannot unilaterally decide the name the stadium after an individual, although they can sell the naming rights to a commercial sponsor.
The District of Columbia Council will lease the stadium to the team and the National Park Service, which manages the federal government land the RFK Stadium is situated on, will likely have the final say. Trump oversees the agencies responsible for land-use approvals, including on this site.
A separate source told ESPN: “The team doesn’t have the authority. The city would be involved in that decision, and the Park Service would be involved.”
