"It will probably happen": Donald Trump wants the mega-stadium named after him

"That's probably how it will happen" Donald Trump wants mega-stadium named after him 08.11.2025, 23:13

A new mega-stadium is being built in Washington, D.C., a multi-billion dollar project. U.S. President Donald Trump wants the new building to bear a very specific name: his own.

The White House has expressed interest in naming a new sports stadium in Washington, D.C., after President Donald Trump. "That would be a nice name, because it was President Trump who made the reconstruction of the new stadium possible," spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told The Hill and ESPN. A senior White House official was also quoted by ESPN as saying, "That's what the president wants. And it's likely to happen."

Previously, ESPN, citing people familiar with the situation, had reported that Trump was pushing for such a designation.

The new stadium is primarily intended to serve as the home of the Washington Commanders football team. It is planned with approximately 65,000 seats and will be built on the eastern edge of the city on the site of the dilapidated RFK Stadium. The cost is estimated at around 3.7 billion US dollars (3.2 billion euros). The project also includes a comprehensive redevelopment of the surrounding area, featuring shops, apartments, and green spaces.

Trump puts pressure on teams

The Commanders' previous stadium on the Anacostia River, about three kilometers from the Capitol, is no longer usable. They haven't played there since 1996, instead playing in the neighboring state of Maryland. The White House announced that Trump will attend the team's home game against the Detroit Lions there on Sunday.

Trump had previously demanded that the Washington Commanders revert to their former name, "Redskins." Civil rights groups and representatives of Native American communities criticize this as racist and derogatory.

The team dropped the name in 2020 and has been called the Commanders since 2022. Trump threatened to halt the new arena project if the name wasn't changed back. Trump is also advocating for the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, formerly known as the Cleveland Indians, to revert to its original name.