Trump wants his name on the Washington Commanders’ stadium, and he has ‘plenty of cards to play’

A senior White House source told ESPN there has been back-channel communication between the administration and a member of the team’s ownership about his wish. 

“It’s what the president wants, and it will probably happen,” the source added.

The new $3.7 billion stadium, approved in September and expected to open by 2030, will be constructed at the old RFK Stadium site on the Anacostia River, which served as the team’s home from 1961 to 1996.

“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 via email on Friday night. 

The White House and a Commanders spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment. 

An unmanned team source told ESPN that there have been no formal conversations yet with Trump regarding his request, though they may come soon, as the president plans to be in attendance for the Commanders’ home game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. 

Billionaire Josh Harris leads the ownership group of the Commanders, and is expected to host Trump as his guest at the game, according to ESPN. Trump is also expected to participate in halftime activities honoring military veterans.

But the decision to put Trump’s name on the new stadium may not be solely up to the team, a source with firsthand knowledge of the process told ESPN.

The Commanders own the new stadium’s naming rights, presumably to sell to a corporate sponsor.  But the District of Columbia Council, which approved the project, would likely decide whether to commemorate an individual in the name of the stadium. 

The D.C. Council will lease the stadium to the Commanders and the National Park Service, which manages the 180-acre federal government land the 65,000-seat stadium will be built on.

“The team doesn’t have the authority. They can’t name the stadium … on their own,” the unnamed source told ESPN. “The city would be involved in that decision, and the Park Service would be involved.”

Most NFL teams have sold their naming rights to corporate sponsors for hundreds of millions of dollars—but the unnamed source with knowledge of Trump’s wishes told ESPN that Trump doesn’t want to buy the name or have a corporate sponsor buy it for him. 

“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 with knowledge of the stadium deal told ESPN. “Trump has plenty of cards to play to get his way.”

The D.C. Council and the National Park Service didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump has made demands on the team before. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and Harris announced that the Commanders’ new stadium would be built in Washington in April. 

But in July, Trump threatened to block the construction if Harris did not change the team name from Commanders back to the Redskins, which had drawn criticism from Native American groups for being offensive. 

The Washington franchise changed its logo and name in 2020, and was called the Washington Football Team for two years. The Commanders have had their current name since their 2022 season and have said they will keep it, despite Trump’s demands.