MLB Team Refuses To Comply With President Trump’s Demand originally appeared on The Spun.

President Donald Trump kicked off this week by putting a pair of sports teams on notice.

For starters, Trump wants the Washington Commanders do ditch their current name and bring the Redskins brand back. He even said he’s willing to hold up the franchise’s deal for a new stadium if they don’t go back to their old name.

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The 47th president of the United States also took aim at the Cleveland Guardians. As you’d suspect, he wants them to be referred to as the Cleveland Indians once again.

“The Washington ‘Whatever’s’ should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team. There is a big clamoring for this,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past. Our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen. Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS, GET IT DONE!!!”

U.S. President Donald Trump throws a baseball on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Trump met with youth baseball players to celebrate Opening Day of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season. Photographer: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesBloomberg/Getty Images

Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations for the Guardians, made it clear this week that a name change won’t be happening anytime soon. The team is hell-bent on building the Guardians brand over the next few years.

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“Not something I’m tracking or have been paying a lot of attention to, but I would say generally I understand that there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago,” Antonetti said. “But obviously it’s a decision we’ve made and we’ve gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future.”

Cleveland’s baseball team changed its name back in 2021. Additionally, the Guardians got rid of the “Chief Wahoo” logo.

We’ll see if Trump calls out the Guardians later this week.

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Related: Stephen A. Smith Responds To President Trump’s NFL Warning

MLB Team Refuses To Comply With President Trump’s Demand first appeared on The Spun on Jul 21, 2025

This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.