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LOADINGERROR LOADING President Donald Trump wants the Washington Commanders’ new football stadium named after him, according to a new report from ESPN. According to a senior source at the White House, the president’s people have been privately discussing the possibility with investor Josh Harris, who leads the Commanders’ ownership group. Advertisement White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt neither confirmed nor denied the report when reached by ESPN on Friday night, saying, “That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible.” Another senior White House source was more direct, telling the outlet, “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen.” Advertisement A Commanders’ spokesperson declined comment to ESPN on Saturday and did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s questions. Getting the $3.7 billion sports complex to bear Trump’s name would require more than just convincing the Commanders’ leadership, however. Though the team owns the naming rights to the stadium, Washington, D.C.,’s council and the National Park Services would also have to approve. The council leases the stadium to the team, and the National Park Service manages the federal land the new complex will sit on. Advertisement Still, a separate source with knowledge of the stadium deal said the president “has plenty of leverage” to get what he wants. “He has cards to play. He can make it very difficult, through government environmental approvals and other things, to make sure everyone who wants this stadium to be built will join to put his name on it,” the source told ESPN. “Trump has plenty of cards to play to get his way.” Advertisement Reportedly, Trump does not want to pay for the naming rights, which are typically sold to corporate sponsors for millions. The president has tried to use that sway to strong-arm the Commanders to do what he wants before. TheTideHas Turned Your SupportFuelsOur Mission Your SupportFuelsOur Mission Cut Through The Chaos Americans just sent Trump a clear message — and Dems are calling it "a 5-alarm fire" for the president. Our reporters are here to keep you informed and make sense of Washington's chaos. Join HuffPost and be part of what happens next. We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves. Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again. We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves. Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again. Support HuffPost Already a member? Log in to hide these messages. Back in July, he threatened to block the stadium’s construction if the team did not take back its old name, the Washington Redskins, which was abandoned in 2020 after decades of criticism that the name is racially insensitive to Native Americans.
