President Donald Trump wants the Commanders’ newly proposed $3.7 billion stadium to be named after him, according to a report from ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Adam Schefter.
“A senior White House source said there have been back-channel communications with a member of the Commanders ownership group, led by Josh Harris, to express Trump’s desire to have the domed stadium in the nation's capital bear his name,” read the report. The club released renderings of the proposed stadium this past spring, which is set to be built on the old RFK Stadium site that served as the franchise’s home from 1961 to ’96.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported Saturday that no formal request or conversation about naming the stadium after President Trump has occurred between the White House and Commanders’ ownership. The only known communication has passed between “mid-level staffers.”
Obviously, the Commanders and owner Josh Harris are anticipating it being a topic of conversation when Donald Trump is with Harris tomorrow. We'll see where that goes. But to this point, the only know communication on the idea happened in passing b/w midlevel staffers. https://t.co/bQs3u7G2pZ
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 8, 2025
Washington is preparing for President Trump to attend Washington’s game this weekend vs. the Lions at Northwest Stadium as a guest of Harris’s. He is expected participate in halftime activities honoring the military, as November is the NFL’s Salute to Service month.
While a Commanders spokesperson reportedly declined to comment on the matter, Schefter and Van Natta reported, citing a team source, that the team “anticipates possible conversations” with Trump about the new stadium on Sunday—though those talks have not yet taken place.
“That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ESPN. “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen.”
The Commanders are reportedly paying $2.7 billion towards the near-$4 billion project, with Washington D.C. contributing $500 million, EventsDC adding $181 million, and another $175 million coming from “stadium activity.” Officials have said that $1.147 billion will come from public funds, which is far less than other NFL stadiums currently under construction.
The new stadium is scheduled to open in 2030.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Donald Trump Wants Commanders’ New Stadium Named After Him.
