Trump presses NFL’s Washington Commanders to name $3 billion stadium after him

US President Donald Trump is pressing the NFL’s Washington Commanders to name their planned $3.7 billion stadium after him. According to The Guardian, Trump has been pushing the bid through back-channel conversations with the owners. Not only this, he is leaning on the government bodies that must approve the project to fulfil his ambition.

A senior White House official, who asked to remain anonymous, said Trump has conveyed his wishes directly to a member of Josh Harris’s ownership group. “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen,” the official told ESPN. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt added in an email: “That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible.”

Meanwhile, the Commanders have declined to comment on the matter, but team channels reportedly said that they have spent several days preparing for Trump’s visit to Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Lions. While no formal talks on the matter have been scheduled, the officials noted that informal conversations about the stadium are expected.

Team returns to the old stadium site

It is pertinent to note that Trump’s push comes at a time when the team is prepared to return to the RFK Stadium site, which served as Washington’s home from 1961 through 1996. The new 65,000-seat domed venue, part of one of the gigantic mixed-use development projects that have become the vogue in American sports, is scheduled to open in 2030.

While the Commanders own the rights to sell a commercial stadium sponsorship, they cannot unilaterally decide to name the venue after an individual. The land is still under the control of the National Park Service, and the District of Columbia Council will lease the stadium to the team under legislation it approved in September.

“The team doesn’t have the authority. They can’t name the stadium on their own,” said a source with direct knowledge of the process. “The city would be involved, and the Park Service would be involved.” However, these levels of approval would give Trump significant leverage.

As a president, he oversees the federal agencies responsible for environmental and land-use approvals at the RFK site – bottlenecks he could slow or block if he chooses. “He has cards to play,” said one source. “He can make it very difficult to get this stadium built unless people align with him on the name.” Sources also say that Trump is not seeking to buy naming rights or have a private donor to do so. It will be interesting to see how this whole saga plays out.