President Trump said Monday that he did not support renaming the Washington Redskins or the Cleveland Indians.
“The teams are named for STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the legendary Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians, two legendary sports franchises, appear to be changing their names to be politically correct,” Trump tweeted.
He then added that “Indians, like Elizabeth Warren, must be very angry right now.”
President Trump said Monday he was against the name change of the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians.
President Trump launched these tweets shortly after a journalist had asked White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany for her opinion on the teams’ decision to conduct a name review.
For years, the Washington soccer team has lured protesters to the games by demanding that the mascot and name be changed. Here protesters with the Colorado American Indian Movement and Idle No More demonstrate outside the NFL stadium in Denver, Colorado in 2013
That same year, President Trump, then an entrepreneur and reality TV star, said the name controversy was “absurd” and not something the President of the United States should focus on.
The Cleveland Indians haven’t been pressured as much as the Washington soccer team to renew its name and brand, but the baseball team announced a review the same day as the DC NFL team.
In reality, Native American groups have been pressuring teams, especially the NFL team in Wasington, to change their names for years.
On Friday, the DC team announced the name was now under review, with sources familiar with discussions between owner Dan Snyder, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and NFL officials who told The Washington Post that the The result will be a new team and pet name. .
“You know where this is leading,” said a source. ‘They are working on that process [of changing the name.] It will end with a new name. Dan [Snyder] has been listening to different people in the last few weeks. ‘
From the beginning of his presidency, Trump has fought with NFL players to follow the example of Colin Kaepernick and kneel during the national anthem to protest racial inequality.
Until recently, Trump had had the subtle backing of the NFL, which at one point planned to fine teams if players knelt.
But after George Floyd’s death and subsequent ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests, Goodell admitted to the players that the league had been wrong.
“We the National Soccer League admit that we were wrong not to listen to the NFL players earlier, and we encourage everyone to speak up and protest peacefully,” Goodell said. “In the National Football League, we believe Black Lives Matter is important.”
“I personally protest with you and I want to be part of the much-needed change in this country,” he added.
On Friday, the same day that the Washington soccer team announced its name revision, the Cleveland Indians did as well.
Trump has not had as many political problems with baseball teams as with other types of sports, although he was booed at a Washington Nationals game last year.
Monday also marked Trump criticizing NASCAR and asking that the only black driver, Bubba Wallace, apologize for what the president called a “HOAX.”
NASCAR officials thought they had found a rope in Wallace’s garage and had the FBI investigate the matter. The rope turned out to be a standard tug and he wasn’t left there to intimidate Wallace, who painted his car in support of ‘Black Lives Matter.’
But Trump tweeted Monday morning asking, “ Bubba Wallace apologized to all those great NASCAR drivers and officers who came to his aid, stood by him and were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that it was all just another HOAX?
‘That Flag decision has caused the lowest ratings EVER!’ Trump said, referring to NASCAR’s recent decision to ban the Confederate flag for its racetracks.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany spent a lot of time at Monday’s briefing answering questions about the president’s tweet.
He was also asked about his views on the Washington football team and reviews of Cleveland Indian names.
“I haven’t talked to the president about it,” replied McEnany.
Trump answered the question minutes later with his tweet.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked if the president supported the name changes for the two franchises and she said she had not spoken to him about it. The tweet came soon after.
He mentioned Warren, who ran for president on the Democratic side earlier this year, because she had always claimed Native American descent.
Trump nicknamed her ‘Pocahontas’.
In 2013, when President Obama was in office, Trump also stepped in.
‘The president should not tell the Washington Redskins to change their name: our country has much bigger problems! FOCUS on them, not nonsense, ‘Trump wrote.
In recent weeks, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to increase in states like Florida and Texas, Trump has devoted considerable bandwidth to the problems of culture war, although the White House has opposed that terminology.
Trump dedicated consecutive speeches at Mount Rushmore and the White House during the July 4 holiday to preserve America’s monuments, never differentiating between Confederate monuments. down.
He also vowed to veto a defense bill on a provision, authored by Warren, that would rename military bases that are still named after Confederate Civil War figures.
When asked by a reporter at Monday’s briefing that all the ‘cultural things’ were worth the President’s time during a pandemic, McEnany said:’ He has focused on two things at once, something we are all capable of doing. ‘.
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