The White House is interested in the idea of naming a new sports stadium in the US capital, Washington, after President Donald Trump. “It would be a good name because it was President Trump who made the reconstruction of the new stadium possible,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told “The Hill” portal and sports channel ESPN. A senior White House official was also quoted by ESPN as saying, “That’s what the president wants. And it’s probably going to happen.” ESPN had previously reported, citing people familiar with the situation, that Trump was pushing for a suitable appointment.
The new stadium will primarily serve as the home of the Washington Commanders football team. It is planned for about 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). As part of the project, a complete redesign of the district is also planned – with shops, apartments and green spaces.
The previous stadium on the Anacostia River, about two miles from the Capitol, is no longer usable. The Commanders have not played there since 1996, but in neighboring Maryland. On Sunday, Trump will watch the team’s home game against the Detroit Lions there, the White House announced.
Trump also previously demanded that the Washington Commanders return to their old name “Redskins.” Civil rights groups and indigenous representatives criticized the act as racist and offensive. The team dropped its name in 2020 and has been called the Commanders since 2022. Trump also called for the old name of the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, which was previously called the Cleveland Indians, to be returned to its old name.
