US President Donald Trump has threatened the NFL team Washington Commanders with serious consequences if they do not revert to their old name “Redskins.” He also called on the Cleveland Guardians baseball team to rename themselves “Indians.”

If the Commanders refuse to revert to their old name, which is considered racist, he will delay a new stadium deal for the franchise, the US president said. The Commanders and Guardians have been using their new names since the 2022 season following intense public debate and say they have no plans to change them.

Trump spoke on social media about the Commanders’ “ridiculous” name and announced that he would “possibly” block plans for a new arena on the site of the old RFK Stadium. His predecessor, Joe Biden, had made the deal possible in January by transferring the land from the federal government to the District of Columbia.

Matt Dolan, whom Trump called “owner of the Cleveland Guardians,” was personally attacked by the president. His party colleague, who has not been active with the family-owned baseball team since 2016, had “lost three elections in a row because of this ridiculous name change. (…) The Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!”