Trump opens old wound with Indians vs. Guardians name debate

Driving the news: The debate remained mostly dormant until President Trump posted about the Washington Commanders (formerly the Redskins) and the Cleveland baseball team to Truth Social on Sunday.

• "The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team," Trump wrote. "There is a big clamoring for this."
• "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," Trump added without citing evidence.

Between the lines: In a later post, Trump criticized former State Sen. Matt Dolan, son of the late Cleveland Guardians owner Larry Dolan.

• Trump suggested Dolan, whom AP reports is no longer involved with the team, lost his primary bids for the U.S. Senate in 2022 and 2024 "because of that ridiculous name change."
• Trump suggested Dolan would win an election "if he changed the name back."

Flashback: Cleveland changed its name from "Indians," a moniker considered offensive by many Native Americans, to the "Guardians" in 2021.

• The team began removing the controversial Chief Wahoo logo from branding and uniforms a few years prior.

What they're saying: Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti responded to Trump's comments in a meeting with reporters Sunday.

• "I understand that there are very different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago," Antonetti said, per Cleveland.com. "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."

📧 Hit reply and tell us: Is the debate over the Cleveland baseball name worth revisiting or have we moved past it?