NFL Fans Blast Donald Trump Over Report Claiming He Wants New Commanders Stadium Named After Him

NFL fans are unleashing their unfiltered opinions on President Donald J. Trump's reported request that the Washington Commanders' new $3.7 billion stadium be named after him.

The news of Donald Trump's reported request comes just hours before the leader of the free world is scheduled to attend the Washington Commanders' upcoming contest against the Detroit Lions at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.

A senior White House spokesperson told ESPN that there have been communications with a member of the Commanders' ownership group, led by Josh Harris, expressing Trump's reported desire to have the NFL team's brand-new stadium named after him.

"That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ESPN via email. "It's what the president wants, and it will probably happen."

The Commanders' new stadium is being built on the site of the old RFK Stadium, which served as the team's home from 1961 to 1996.

While a Commanders spokesperson declined to comment on the news, team sources revealed the POTUS is scheduled to attend the team's current stadium, Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, on Sunday, November 9.

Trump will participate in the team's halftime activities honoring the military. During his visit, sources believe he will also speak with the Commanders about their new stadium and potential names.

"Obviously, the Commanders and owner Josh Harris are anticipating it being a topic of conversation when Donald Trump is with Harris tomorrow," NFL reporter Albert Breer wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

It's reasonable to believe that the Commanders' new stadium would be sold to a corporate sponsor like other teams in the league. However, a source told ESPN that would be a separate process from "commemorating an individual in the stadium name."

The District of Columbia Council and the National Park Service will ultimately have the final say on the Commanders stadium's new name, with the venue scheduled to open in 2030.

"The team doesn't have the authority. They can't name the stadium ... on their own," the source said. "The city would be involved in that decision, and the Park Service would be involved."

Trump's reported demand to have the new DC stadium named after him may not come as a surprise to those who have been keeping up, considering the president threatened to stop progress on the new build in July 2025 if the Commanders didn't agree to change their team name back to the Redskins.

Former team owner Dan Snyder changed the team name to the Washington Football Team in 2020 after the team was criticized for its name, which many considered offensive to Native American groups.

However, Trump made it clear he wasn't a fan of the "Commanders" on his Truth Social account, writing, "I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins,' and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, 'Washington Commanders,' I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington."

The new 65,000-seat stadium will sit on 174 acres, just two miles from the US Capitol, and will include housing developments, a sports complex, and retail shops.

It's still unclear whether the new project will feature Trump's name, but the source with inside knowledge said the politician "has plenty of leverage" to get it done.

"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," they said. "Trump has plenty of cards to play to get his way."

Many NFL fans reacted to the latest report, slamming Trump for seemingly worrying about the wrong things during a tumultuous time in the United States.

"Nice of Sleepy Don to wake up and have an opinion on such important topics in our country," one user wrote, while another posted, "I thought they wanted to keep politics out of sports?"

Other users posted harsher statements, saying that if Trump wants the new stadium to bear his name, perhaps the city should consider calling it "Trump-Epstein Stadium" or "Orange Bowl at Epstein Field."

Trump's visit to the Commanders' current stadium comes amid the ongoing government shutdown, which has officially become the longest in US history, according to NPR.