Donald Trump is pressing the NFL’s Washington Commanders to name their planned $3.7bn stadium after him, a bid he is pursuing through back-channel conversations with ownership and by leaning on the government bodies that must approve the project, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.
A senior White House official said Trump has conveyed his wishes directly to a member of Josh Harris’s ownership group. “It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen,” the official told ESPN. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt added in an email: “That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible.”
The Commanders declined comment, but team officials say they have spent several days preparing for Trump’s visit to Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Lions, where informal conversations about the stadium are expected. No formal talks have taken place.
Trump’s push comes as the team prepares to return to the RFK Stadium site, which served as Washington’s home from 1961 through 1996. The new 65,000-seat domed venue, part of one of the gigantic mixed-use development projects that have become the vogue in American sports, is scheduled to open in 2030.
Although the Commanders own the rights to sell a commercial stadium sponsorship, they cannot unilaterally decide to name the venue after an individual. The land is controlled by the National Park Service, and the District of Columbia Council will lease the stadium to the team under legislation it approved in September.
“The team doesn’t have the authority. They can’t name the stadium on their own,” said a source with direct knowledge of the process. “The city would be involved, and the Park Service would be involved.”
Those layers of approval give Trump significant leverage. As president, he oversees the federal agencies responsible for environmental and land-use approvals at the RFK site – bottlenecks he could slow or block if he chooses. “He has cards to play,” said one source. “He can make it very difficult to get this stadium built unless people align with him on the name.”
Sources say Trump is not seeking to buy naming rights or have a private donor do so. He wants the stadium to carry his name as a tribute, similar to Chicago’s Soldier Field or Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The broader RFK project is the largest economic development effort in Washington’s history. The Commanders will invest $2.7bn, plus cost overruns, while the district will contribute $1bn. The redevelopment will include housing, retail and a sports complex across 174 acres.
Trump has repeatedly waded into Commanders politics. In July, he threatened to block the stadium unless the team restored its former nickname, the Redskins, which was dropped in 2020. The Harris group has shown no interest in revisiting the name, though some fans continue to push for it.
Trump is scheduled to attend Sunday’s game as Harris’s guest and is expected to take part in military appreciation ceremonies at half-time.
