Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump hasn’t found much common ground with 2016 GOP rival and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on the campaign trail, but the two agree on at least one thing: the Washington Redskins’ team nickname should stay as is.
“Honestly, I don’t think they should change the name, unless the owner wanted to,” Mr. Trump told the New York Times, saying not everyone thinks of it as a slur.
“I know Indians that are extremely proud of that name,” Mr. Trump said. “They think it’s a positive.”
Mr. Bush, too, says the name should not be changed and that politicians should not have any say about such things.
“I don’t find it offensive. Native American tribes generally don’t find it offensive,” he said recently on “The Arena” on Sirius XM’s POTUS Channel, saying there was a similar flap with Florida State’s Seminole nickname, where the Seminole tribe ultimately came to the defense of the university.
“It’s a sport, for cryin’ out loud,” he said. “It’s a football team.”
Many Democrats have called for the team name to be changed; Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, has repeatedly denounced both the nickname and team owner Daniel Snyder.
In response to Mr. Bush’s comments, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Mr. Bush’s support of the team name and mascot is “extremely insulting to Native American people and is one of many reasons he will not earn the Native American vote.”
Mr. Snyder, who has said he’s never changing the team name, gave $100,000 to the pro-Bush Right to Rise super PAC in April, according to FEC records.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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