Trump criticises two US sports teams for considering changes to 'offensive' names

The president accused the sports teams of trying to be "politically correct"
Trump has criticised the sports teams which have announced they will be considering name changes
REUTERS
Imogen Braddick7 July 2020

Donald Trump has criticised two US sports teams after they announced they would be considering name changes.

The president tweeted: "They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct."

President Trump, in his tweet, also mentioned Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, saying: “Indians, like Elizabeth Warren, must be very angry right now!”

He has repeatedly mocked Ms Warren, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, for claiming Native American heritage, derisively calling her “Pocahontas”.

On Friday, the NFL’s Redskins announced that they had begun a “thorough review” of their name, which has been deemed offensive by Native American groups for decades.

The Redskins’ decision came after FedEx, which paid $205 million for naming rights to the team’s stadium, and other corporate partners called for the team to change its nickname.

"In light of recent events around our country and feedback from our community, the Washington Redskins are announcing the team will undergo a thorough review of the team's name," a statement said.

Hours later, the Indians Major League Baseball team announced that they will also review their long-debated name.

"We are committed to making a positive impact in our community and embrace our responsibility to advance social justice and equality," the team said in a statement.

President Trump has spent the last few days stoking divisions and exploiting racial tensions, accusing protesters who have pushed for racial justice of engaging in a “merciless campaign to wipe out our history”.

Earlier on Monday, he lashed out at Nascar and accused the sport’s only full-time black driver of perpetrating "a hoax" when a crew member found a noose in the team garage stall.

President Trump had tweeted in 2013 that then-president Barack Obama "should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name" because "our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them, not nonsense".

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