WATCH: “Guardians, Ugh” – Trump Says Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians’ Woke New Names are “Degrading to the Indian Population”
Fredricks: For those of us that live here in the District, you said when you came in, you were going to make Washington, DC great again. One of the issues we’ve got right now is we understand there might be an imminent deal between the owner of the Washington football team, whatever you want to call them now, Commanders, and locally, in getting the Redskins back to DC in RFK Stadium. That’s on federal property. Are you going to be involved in that negotiation, and would one of the stipulations be they changed their name back to the Redskins?
Trump: That’s a little bit— Nobody’s asked me that one. Look, I think when— the Indian population is a great part of this country, great heritage, and we’re talking about Massapequa, Long Island, the Chiefs, they call themselves the chiefs. Well, the Kansas City Chiefs, they’re not changing their name. A great team, great people, great owners, great coach, and Quarterback. I love the quarterback. I like his girlfriend, too, his wife. His wife is— his wife is great. She’s been a big fan. The quarterback’s mother is incredible. I like that team. They’re called the chiefs. And frankly, I see nothing wrong with it.
They call them the warriors, and not that team, but a lot of other teams, and all of these Indian surnames and different names, and I’m saying that I think that’s a positive thing. And when you go back to Indians, they polled this. They don’t know why these names are being taken off. They’re trying to— I think it’s degrading to the Indian population, and it’s a great population, and they like when they’re, you know, called by various names. Now, Washington, the Redskins, perhaps that’s a little different, a little bit different, but I can tell you that I spoke to people of Indian heritage that love that name, and they love that team, and I think it’s a much, you know, I think it’s a superior name to what they have right now. And it had heritage behind it. It had something special.
But a lot of the names having to do with, you know, different places, not just Indians, but I think it’s— they changed the name of the Cleveland Indians. Why would you take the name Indians off the Cleveland Indians? And now it’s called the Cleveland something else, right? Guardians, ugh. It just doesn’t make sense to me. So, you know, we’re about bringing common sense back to this country, and it may be popular or unpopular, what I’m saying and I’ve just said to you. See, he’s a nice guy. You got a lot out of me on this one, but I think most people agree with me. I think it really is demeaning to Indians, but to change the name of the Cleveland Indians, as an example, to the Cleveland Guardians is not the same, and I’m sure it has an impact on the team.