Donald Trump Wants Commanders’ New Stadium Named After Him
Just when you thought the intersection of politics and sports couldn’t get any weirder. According to a bombshell report from ESPN, the 45th & 47th President Donald Trump has his eyes on a new piece of real estate to slap his name on: the Washington Commanders’ planned $3.7 billion stadium.
Yes, you read that right. Forget Trump Tower or Trump National Golf Club. If the former president gets his way, NFL fans could one day be cheering, booing, and spilling overpriced beer in the grandstands of “Trump Stadium” for a Commanders game.
What White House Officials Have Been Saying
This isn’t just some idle fantasy or BS report, either. Sources told ESPN that backchannel communications have already taken place between a senior White House official and a member of the Commanders’ ownership group. The message was clear: Trump wants his name on the building.
The White House, never one for subtlety, basically confirmed it. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ESPN,
“That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible.” An unnamed White House source was even more blunt, stating, “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen.”
Well, there you have it. The man wants what he wants and now many wonder how can this happen?
How Would a “Trump Stadium” Even Happen?
The new stadium is set to be built on the old RFK Stadium site, which involves federal land managed by the National Park Service and a lease agreement with the District of Columbia. Both the D.C. Council and the Park Service would likely have a major say in any naming decision with the stadium.
Typically, NFL teams sell these naming rights to the highest corporate bidder for hundreds of millions of dollars—money the Commanders would surely love to have. But Trump isn’t looking to buy the rights. He wants the name as a “thank you” for his role in getting the stadium project approved. It’s a bold move, asking a franchise to forgo a massive revenue stream for a tribute.
But let’s be real. Trump has leverage and the power to do it. Heck, he just pardoned Darryl Strawberry, he can do anything. A source familiar with the deal pointed out the obvious:
“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.”.
A History of Trump and Washington Football
This whole saga adds another bizarre chapter to the relationship between Trump and the Washington NFL franchise. Just last July, Trump demanded that owner Josh Harris “IMMEDIATELY” change the team’s name back to the Redskins, a name dropped in 2020 due to its offensive nature. Now, he’s angling for the ultimate compromise: keep the Commanders name, but play in a stadium bearing his.
He’s already a guest of owner Josh Harris for this Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. One can only imagine the conversations that will be had in the owner’s box. Imagine if the NFL approved his bid to buy the Buffalo Bills in 2014 or any of the other times he tried. Would it have worked or ended up like the New Jersey Generals in the USFL, Trump once owned.
Final Thoughts
So, as the Commanders prepare to get fed to the Lions this weekend, the real game is being played behind the scenes. Will the team’s new home be a monument to a corporate sponsor, or will it become a permanent fixture in the political legacy of Donald J. Trump? In Washington, it seems, everything is ultimately about politics—even football.
