President Donald Trump against Washington changing name to Commanders: 'It doesn't have the same ring'

After 87 years as the Washington Redskins, the NFL team changed their name in 2020 to the Washington Football Team, and subsequently to the Washington Commanders. On Monday, President Donald Trump was asked if he would like the Commanders to reverse course and call themselves the Redskins again.

“Well, you want me to make a controversial statement? I would. I wouldn’t have changed the name,” Trump said. “It doesn’t have the same ring to me. But winning can make everything sound good. So if they win, all of the sudden, the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn’t have changed the name.”

Washington’s decision to change the franchise’s name in 2020 was a quick one. For years, the organization faced protest from Native American advocacy groups, claiming the “Redskins” name was racially insensitive.

However, after George Floyd’s death in May 2025 and a period of civil unrest in the United States, the organization felt more pressure than ever to address the Redskins name. The organization particularly was under fire online, with each of its tweets receiving a wave of comments that read, “#changethename.”

In turn, the team’s owner at the time, Dan Snyder, reportedly began discussing changing the team’s name with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. However, before reports of their conversation went public, a letter signed by 87 shareholders and investors worth a combined $620 billion was sent to three companies that are sponsors of the NFL and/or of Washington’s team: FedEx, PepsiCo and Nike.

The signees had a simple but massive request: Cut ties with the team unless it changed the name. On July 3, 2020, Washington released a statement, revealing the team would review the team’s name and consider making a change.

Just nine days later, Snyder announced the organization would be retiring the Redskins name and logo. For two NFL season, Washington played as the Football Team before officially changing their name to the Commanders in 2022.

While some fans have expressed their desire for the organization to return to its roots, the conversation around the team’s named died down when the Commanders found success last season. In head coach Dan Quinn‘s debut campaign at the helm, the Commanders reached the NFC Championship.

Now, with Trump making his opinion on the Redskins-Commanders conversation official, perhaps the organization’s name will be put under the magnifying glass again. Of course, Quinn and Co. will be more focused about their product on the field than any outside noise.