Trump Slams Sports Teams for Dropping Native American Names, Calls Changes 'Degrading'

Donald Trump is back in the headlines—this time, taking a swing at the trend of sports teams dropping Native American names and mascots. In a string of recent statements, the former president argued that these name changes are actually "degrading to the Indian population," claiming many people of Native American heritage prefer the original team names.

Trump didn’t mince words when discussing teams like the Washington Commanders (formerly the Redskins) and the Cleveland Guardians (formerly the Indians). He said he’s spoken to people who "love that name and love that team," and called the old names "superior" and "special" because of their heritage. The new names, he argued, just don’t have the same ring—or the same history.

While Trump stopped short of saying he’d force the Commanders to revert to "Redskins" if they wanted a new stadium on federal land, he left no doubt about his personal preference. According to a recent Washington Post poll, he’s not alone—58% of Commanders fans aren’t thrilled with the team’s rebrand, either.

The former president also took a swipe at Major League Baseball’s Cleveland franchise, saying, "Why would you take the name ‘Indians’ off the Cleveland Indians? And now it's called the Cleveland something else. So it just doesn't make sense to me." He insisted that changing "Indians" to "Guardians" is "not the same" and could even impact the team’s spirit.

The name-change debate isn’t just hitting pro teams. In Long Island, Massapequa High School’s "Chiefs" nickname is under fire due to a New York law requiring schools to drop indigenous-related mascots by year’s end. The school district sued the state, but a judge ruled against them. Trump voiced his support for Massapequa, calling the push to change the name "ridiculous" and an "affront" to Native Americans, even tagging his Secretary of Education to join the fight for the Chiefs’ identity.

It’s worth noting that while the Commanders and Guardians bowed to public pressure and changed their names, teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Chiefs, and Florida State Seminoles have so far resisted the trend and kept their original monikers.