Updated July 7th, 2020 at 13:51 IST

Donald Trump slammed for controversial tweet over opposing Redskins, Indians name change

US President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment that Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians bowed down to pressure and are considering a name change.

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The President of the United States, Donald Trump continues to not remain a stranger to controversies. While political leaders in the country and fans are demanding a change of name of NFL franchise Washington Redskins and MLB side Cleveland Indians, Donald Trump took to social media to oppose the recent demands, while also backing the teams to stick with their nicknames that have been a part of history.

Also Read | Native American Groups Ask NFL To Force Redskins Name Change

Donald Trump Redskins Tweet

Donald Trump criticised the Redskins and Indians for bowing down to the pressure and considering a name change. Trump wrote on Twitter that both teams are "fabled sports franchises" and will be forced to drop their nicknames in order to be politically correct. Trump also fired shots at Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has repeatedly slammed Trump for frequently targeting the Native Americans.

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. Indians, like Elizabeth Warren, must be very angry right now!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

Donald Trump had similar opinions back in 2013 when tweeted out a response for then-President Barack Obama stating Obama should have more important things to do than worry about Washington Redskins name change

President should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name-our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them,not nonsense
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

Also Read | Fact Check: Donald Trump Claims US Deaths From Coronavirus Are Down By 39%

However, social media was left unimpressed with Donald Trump's views on the team's changing their names. Former NBA players Rex Chapman and Jason Collins slammed the US President for his comments.

Ugly
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman)

You are a racist. Evil, ugly, and deplorable.
— Jason Collins (@jasoncollins98)

Fans also react to Donald Trump's controversial tweet -

Donald Trump is siding with the racists when it comes to the Washington Redskins. No surprise whatsoever. Trump is trying as hard as he can to be on the wrong side of history. Whatever, this traitorous bastard is going to spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement anyway.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport)

Calling a Native American a "Redskin" or an "Indian" is not a compliment! It's an insult.

How would you like being called "an Orangeskin?"
— Mrs. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein)

Washington Redskins is a racist name. It offensively implies that Native Americans have red skin. They actually range in all colors from brown to white similar to Asian Americans. And the name Cleveland Indians is doubly racist against both Native Americans and Indian Americans.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu)

Also Read | Redskins Name Change: Redskins Minority Owners Smith, Schar & Rothman Looking To Sell Their Stakes

In the wake of the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement in the US, calls for the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians to drop their nicknames have been extremely high. The Redskins have used the nickname since 1933, a year after their inception in Boston as the Braves. Meanwhile, the Cleveland baseball franchise has been using 'Indians' as their nickname since 1914 as a tribute to Cleveland legend, Louis Sockalexis, a Native American, who was fondly called as 'The Chief'. Amid calls for a name change, both sides have issued statements that they are reviewing the franchise name and are considering to drop their nicknames.

The Redskins have particularly been under lot pressure to change their nickname. FedEx, the team's stadium sponsor, issued a request to change the team's name. Nike, NFL's official gameday uniform supplier, took down all Redskins merchandise from their website. On Monday, several Native American leaders and organisations sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, calling for the league to force the Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to change the team name immediately.