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Trump's latest egomaniacal demand will make you want to punt him
President Donald Trump has big plans for the Washington Commanders—a bold
move, given the turmoil he’s already unleashed in the nation’s capital since
returning to the White House in January.
According to ESPN, Trump wants the Commanders’ planned $3.7 billion stadium in
Washington to be named after him. A senior White House official confirmed that
back-channel talks have taken place between the administration and a member of
the Commanders’ ownership group about the naming rights for the new domed
arena, which is set to open in 2030 on the site of the old RFK Stadium.
“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. She declined further comment, but another senior
official put it more bluntly.
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“It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen.”
The decision, however, won’t be entirely up to Trump—or the Commanders’
owners. The D.C. Council and the National Park Service, which controls the
federal land beneath the old RFK site, would both need to approve any naming
deal. So far, the White House hasn’t said how it plans to make that happen.
The Commanders, who currently play in Landover, Maryland, are moving back to
the city after years of lobbying by Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, NFL
Commissioner Roger Goodell, and Commanders owner Josh Harris. For fans, ESPN
notes, the RFK site is sacred ground—home to three Super Bowl wins and a deep
well of nostalgia.
For Trump, it’s another branding opportunity.
The president’s appetite for self-promotion is hardly a secret. From Bibles
and guitars to Trump Tower, Trump Steaks, and his $TRUMP meme coin, he’s spent
decades stamping his name on nearly everything he touches. His company is again
cutting multimillion-dollar real estate deals abroad, and his golf courses and
hotels still gleam with his gold-plated branding.
Just this summer, congressional Republicans introduced a bill to rename the
Kennedy Center as the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts.
One source familiar with the Commanders’ stadium discussions told ESPN that
Trump “has plenty of leverage” to make it happen.
“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 said.
Trump attended the Commanders’ home game against the Detroit Lions on
Sunday—the first sitting president to attend a regular-season NFL game in
nearly half a century. The reception was less than warm. According to NBC 4
Washington, boos erupted when Trump appeared on the videoboard and again when
he was introduced over the loudspeakers at halftime.
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The hostility wasn’t surprising. Since August, Trump has flooded Washington
with military patrols, deploying the National Guard to city streets as part of
his broader crackdown
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on Democrat-run cities.
His administration recently extended the National Guard’s deployment in
Washington through February, over the objections of Bowser and D.C. Attorney
General Brian Schwalb, who has sued to halt it. Roughly 2,300 National Guard
members—many from out of state—are now policing the capital’s federal lands and
Metro stations.
That heavy-handed presence has only deepened resentment among Washington
residents, many of whom see Trump’s approach as an invasion of their city.
Adding to the weekend’s awkward optics, Trump boasted about his smooth flight
on Air Force One from Palm Beach to Washington while airline cancellations
stranded thousands of Americans. His arrival coincided with a military flyover
above the stadium, even as the Federal Aviation Administration continues to
slash flights at 40 major airports because of the GOP-led shutdown.
Trump’s latest demand—for yet another monument to himself—lands as Washington
endures deep frustration and federal overreach under his watch. But if history
is any guide, that’s unlikely to stop him. After all, the only person who’s
ever been eager to commemorate Trump and Trumpism has always been Trump himself.
Click here to check out this story on DailyKos.com.
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