President Donald Trump wants the Washington Commanders to put his name on their future stadium, ESPN reported Saturday.
A “senior White House source” told ESPN that the commander-in-chief has expressed his wishes to the NFL team’s ownership group, led by Josh Harris.
“It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen,” the source said.
Trump, of course, is no stranger to putting his name on buildings, hotels, casinos and golf courses as a real estate developer, in addition to selling Trump-branded items ranging from sneakers to bibles.
“That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ESPN on Friday night via email.
The planned $3.7 billion domed stadium will be constructed in Washington, D.C., at the former site of RFK Stadium, home to the then-Washington Redskins from 1961-96. The 65,000-seat stadium is projected to open in 2030.
A spokesperson for the Commanders, who currently play at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., declined to provide a comment to ESPN on Saturday.
Other than Green Bay’s Lambeau Field and Chicago’s Soldier Field, NFL stadiums almost always sell their lucrative naming rights to corporate sponsors.
A few facilities have both nicknames and sponsors, including Kansas City’s GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High.
Presumably, the Commanders still could sell the naming rights while also keeping the White House happy: Northwest Field at Trump Stadium, for example.
Trump is expected to attend the Commanders’ home game Sunday against the Detroit Lions as a guest of Harris.
In advance of the game, Northwest Stadium’s official X account issued the following statement Saturday afternoon, indicative of a presidential visit:
“There will be enhanced security at tomorrow’s game. All fans will be subjected to TSA-style screening points and are strongly urged to arrive as early as possible,” read the post.
–Field Level Media
