The Washington Commanders are building a new football stadium. President Donald Trump is putting in a request to the team, as it gets ready to complete work on the project.
“President Donald Trump wants the Washington Commanders to name their planned $3.7 billion stadium after him, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN,” reporter Adam Schefter reported on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.
The Commanders are building a new stadium on the site of the old RFK stadium. That site served as the team's home from 1961-1996. Washington D.C. approved of the project in the last few months.
Trump is an avid NFL fan, who used to frequently attend games before his presidency. He was also involved in trying to buy a professional NFL football team before entering politics. In the 1980s, Trump was owner of the USFL's New Jersey Generals.
It is unclear if the Commanders can name their stadium after President Donald Trump
It appears uncertain if President Trump will be able to have his name on the stadium.
“The team doesn't have the authority. They can't name the stadium … on their own,” a source said to ESPN. “The city would be involved in that decision, and the Park Service would be involved.”
Trump does have the power of the presidency behind him, though, which could play a major role in the final decision.
“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,” the source said. “Trump has plenty of cards to play to get his way.”
Trump has also demanded the Commanders change their name back to the Washington Redskins. He has said he would try and block construction on the stadium if the name wasn't changed, ESPN reported.
Washington currently plays their home games in the state of Maryland, at Northwest Stadium.
