Overview

• On July 20, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would block the RFK land transfer and financing for the $3.7 billion arena unless the Washington Commanders readopt their former Redskins name.
• He previously decried debates over the Redskins name as “nonsense” in 2013, underscoring a sharp reversal in his own stance.
• Team officials and Washington, D.C. leaders have reaffirmed they will not change the Commanders’ name, citing its 2020 retirement over offensive ties to indigenous peoples.
• Critics view the renaming insistence as a deliberate diversion from Trump’s unfulfilled 2024 campaign promise to publish the Jeffrey Epstein files.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson moved up the summer recess to prevent a congressional vote on releasing the Epstein records, further delaying potential transparency.