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Donald Trump believes that the Washington Commanders should name their new $3.7billion stadium after him - despite his previous gripes about the franchise. Trump is set to attend his first NFL game of the season on Sunday afternoon, when he watches the Commanders take on the Detroit Lions at Northwest Stadium. The president will enjoy the action from inside a luxury VIP suite alongside Josh Harris, who is owner of the team and has lead the planning for their stadium move. There could be plenty for the two of them to discuss on the day after a White House official revealed Trump's hopes that they name the new stadium after him. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ESPN: 'That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible'. The outlet claim that Leavitt did not answer further questions but did say: 'It's what the president wants, and it will probably happen.' ESPN claim that the Commanders anticipate a conversation with Trump to be held, regarding the stadium's name, but no formal conversations have taken place yet. Meanwhile, a source told the outlet: 'He [Trump] has cards to play. 'He can make it very difficult, through government environmental approvals, to make sure everyone who wants this stadium to be built will join to put his name on it'. It follows an ongoing theme surrounding the president, who introduced legislation to rename the Kennedy Center as the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts. Meanwhile, it was confirmed in September that the Commanders will return to the site of their former home, RFK Stadium, amid plans to build a stunning $3.7m stadium. The Commanders currently play at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, but have an aim to open a new venue in 2030 on the same RFK site where the team played when it won three Super Bowls in the 1980s and '90s. Congress passed a bill transferring the RFK Stadium land to the city that was signed by then-President Joe Biden in early January. That paved the way for making it possible to replace the old stadium with a mixed-use development, including the new venue for the Commanders. Trump made mention of the stunning stadium back in May, when he confirmed that the 2027 NFL Draft would be heading to the National Mall in Washington, DC. Throughout the announcement, Trump's desk was scattered with personalized Washington football memorabilia, including a 'Trump' No. 47 replica jersey. The National Mall is capable of holding several hundred thousands spectators, although the exact capacity for the 2027 NFL Draft has yet to be announced. Washington DC has never hosted the event since it began changing venues in 2015. Previously the draft was primarily held in New York and Philadelphia. He then discussed the Commanders' plans to return to the site of the RFK Stadium - which hadn't been approved at the time - and heaped praise on the team's plans. 'I don't think there is a better site anywhere in the world than that site,' Trump said, while taking some credit for the plan. 'It sat there for years and people were talking about stadiums and 25 different sites. I said they're not talking about the best site. That's the best site there is.' However, despite his glowing endorsement of the franchise in May, months later, Trump would seemingly turn heel and threaten to block the move. In August, Trump said he would block federal support for the stadium project unless the Commanders change back to the name it formerly adopted before being axed in 2020 amid pressure from fans, sponsors and Native American groups who considered 'Redskins' a racial slur. '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 president said on Truth Social in August. Northwest Stadium has been the home of the Commanders since 1997. It was ranked as the second-worst NFL stadium by Daily Mail last month, only besting MetLife Stadium, home of division rivals the New York Giants and the AFC's New York Jets. Trump's long-running desire to be involved with the NFL dates back to his days as owner of the New Jersey Generals - a United States Football League franchise. Trump only bought into the USFL after striking out in his effort to acquire the NFL's Baltimore Colts in 1983. A year later, Trump had a reported chance to buy the Dallas Cowboys for just $50 million but declined, allowing Jerry Jones to acquire the franchise for $140 million later in the decade. Now the Cowboys rank as the most valuable team in sports with a $13 billion valuation from Forbes. And Trump wasn't only using money to get an NFL team. He also tried using leverage, according to Jeff Pearlman's 2018 book, 'Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL'. According to interviews conducted by Pearlman, Trump's initial plan was to have the USFL fold and the NFL absorb the Generals as an expansion franchise. However, during a meeting with then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle in New York City's Pierre Hotel in 1984, that plan was foiled. 'He basically said to Rozelle,' Pearlman explained, 'I don't really give a s*** about the USFL. I want an NFL team. What do I have to do to get in the NFL?' 'It was basically an offer to throw the USFL under the bus.' Trump did not get the answer he was looking for. 'Rozelle said to him, 'As long as I'm the commissioner, you're never going to have a team,' Pearlman continued. 'He didn't trust him. He thought he was a scumbag. 'He didn't say, 'I think you're a scumbag,' but Rozelle made his feelings toward Trump very well known. [Rozelle] also made them well known during the trial when he testified.' Unable to pay its bills, the league folded before the 1986 season. Meanwhile, in 2018, Super Bowl winners, the Philadelphia Eagles, had their trip to the White House cancelled following a verbal tirade on the team from Trump. 'The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow. They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country,' a statement read. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie joined his players in linking arms during the playing of the national anthem at their 2017 home opener against the New York Giants. Although no Eagles players knelt during the anthem, safety Malcolm Jenkins, along with two other players, held their right fists in the air. It came one day after Trump had called for NFL players to be fired for kneeling during the national anthem.
