White House Likes the Idea of Naming Stadium for Trump
President Trump speaks as Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris, from left, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser listen during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in May. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
White House officials said Saturday they support naming Washington’s new NFL stadium after President Trump, following reports that an intermediary informed the Commanders’ ownership group of the president’s interest in having his name on the venue.
According to ESPN, President Trump may personally deliver the message Sunday when he’s expected to attend the Commanders’ matchup against the Detroit Lions at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. The game will include a halftime tribute honoring American veterans.
“That would surely be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary.
Under an agreement announced in April between the team and the District of Columbia, the Commanders are set to return to the nation’s capital in a new $4 billion stadium built on the historic RFK Stadium site, where the franchise played for more than three decades. Demolition at the site is already underway.
The Commanders have not commented on the idea of naming the stadium after the president. Trump previously said he might oppose the stadium deal unless the team restored its former nickname, which some groups had labeled offensive to Native Americans.
If the stadium were to bear Trump’s name, the team would forgo lucrative corporate naming rights—an option the current agreement with the District allows. According to NBC Sports, those rights could generate millions in annual revenue, though it’s possible President Trump could personally fund the naming as a symbolic gesture.
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