Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said the franchise has no intention of changing its name back after President Donald Trump's public demand to do so.
"We've gotten the opportunity to build the brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future," Antonetti told reporters on Sunday (July 20) via USA TODAY, noting that a revert back to its prior 'Indians' moniker was "not something [he has been] tracking or [has] been paying a lot of attention to."
Trump publicly demanded that the Guardians and the National Football League's Washington Commanders, who were previously the 'Redskins,' change their names back in a post shared on his Truth Social account Sunday.
“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.
“Likewise, the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams, with a storied past,” he continued. “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!!!”
The Commanders, who had temporarily gone by 'the Washington Football Team' for two seasons, made the decision to rebrand in 2020 after years of public pressure with critics deeming the prior name as offensive. The Guardians announced their decision to change their team name after the 2021 MLB season, having previously dropped their 'Chief Wahoo' logo years prior.