Former President Donald Trump is pressuring his political allies to name the new stadium of the Washington Commanders after him. The DC Office of Planning team is preparing for a big, forthcoming RFK Stadium site redevelopment. This ambitious proposal could not have come at a more opportune time. The Commanders plan to spend $2.7 billion to create the area’s most stimulating catalytic project. Titled Future Forward, the ambitious plan includes a 65,000-seat stadium, housing developments, an athletic complex and team stores.
Trump has expressed interest in naming the stadium. This is perfectly timed with his visit to the April 2nd home game, where he will be a special guest of Vice President Kamala Harris. He’s set to take part in pregame and halftime festivities paying tribute to the military. Due to Trump’s significant clout and connections, insiders say he has a lot of wiggle room to negotiate on this entirely symbolic naming project.
A source familiar with the stadium deal commented, “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.” This quote demonstrates both the leverage that Trump will have over the project’s advancement and his ability to influence its ultimate fate.
Trump’s branding is evident not only in his political endeavors but through his golf courses and hotels, which prominently feature his name. His biggest fans have fought hard to have all kinds of big, expensive structures named after him. That effort picked up during his second term in office. In July, Trump did the unthinkable. In February, he implied he would oppose the $400 million new stadium’s construction if Harris didn’t revert the team name from the Commanders back to the Redskins.
The new Commanders stadium would be built on the site of the previous RFK Stadium. This historic house of blues and rock & roll was the team’s home from 1961 until 1996. Amid rising excitement over the project, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser labeled it “the largest economic development project in D.C. history.” To get this arrangement, the District government will kick in $1 billion to construct the new stadium and lease it to the team. In the meantime, the Commanders will take on any cost overruns for the project.
On September 17, the D.C. Council voted 11-2 in support of advancing the RFK Stadium Project. The approval by the council marks a critical milestone for the team. Beyond that, it’s a huge signal of progress for the city in revitalizing this most revered of locations.
Additionally, as we noted last month, there’s been a concerted effort lately to add even more tributes to Trump’s legacy around our capital. In response, a new bill was introduced that called for renaming the Kennedy Center as the Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts. This effort is part of a long history of other groups’ attempts to keep Trump’s name front and center in Washington D.C.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump, remarked on the significance of naming the stadium after him: “That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible.” This statement emphasizes Trump’s perceived role in facilitating the stadium project’s development.
Trump’s proposal for naming rights has sparked discussions among fans and political analysts alike. People in favor of the proposal attribute the push to his work and impact. At the same time, others resent the idea of injecting sports into political legacy-building.
Leave a Reply