Former US President Donald Trump has ignited a fresh wave of controversy with his recent comments on the usage of the term 'Indian' and his advocacy for the return of controversial sports team names, drawing sharp criticism from Native American advocacy groups.
The Controversial Remarks and Historical Context
While speaking to reporters, Donald Trump made a striking assertion, claiming that using the word 'Indian' is now forbidden unless one is referring to people from the Asian nation of India. "You're not allowed to use the word 'Indian' anymore... The only ones that want you to do it are the Indians," he stated. A video of these remarks quickly went viral across social media platforms.
In the video, Trump was referring to Native American communities. The label 'Indian' itself is a historical misnomer dating back to Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage. Believing he had reached the outer edges of Asia, then known as the 'Indies', Columbus mistakenly applied the term to the Indigenous peoples he encountered in the Caribbean. Despite soon realizing his error, the incorrect name became entrenched in colonial records and treaties.
Over time, the term has been widely criticized as outdated and offensive, as it is rooted in a historical error and carries the heavy burden of colonial misclassification and the subsequent dispossession of Indigenous lands.
The Gesture and The Backlash Over Team Names
Adding another layer to the incident, the former President also performed the 'Tomahawk gesture' while responding to a reporter. This action, along with the use of team names like the former Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians mascot, is considered by many Native American advocacy groups to be a harmful stereotype. These groups argue that such imagery has a documented negative psychological impact on Native American students and communities, reducing living cultures to caricatures.
This is not the first time Trump has waded into this sensitive issue. In July of this year, he faced significant backlash after threatening to block a planned NFL stadium in Washington, DC, unless the local team, now called the Commanders, reverted to its former name, the Redskins.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed there was "a big clamoring" for the return of the old name and stated that "our great Indian people" wanted it to happen. It is crucial to note that the Washington NFL team retired the Redskins name and logo in July 2020 after decades of criticism that it was a racial slur. The team's logo, featuring the profile of a red-faced Native American with feathers, had been in use since 1933.
Trump had also urged Major League Baseball's Cleveland Guardians, who changed their name from Indians in 2021, to follow a similar path and revert to their former name.
Native American Groups Condemn The Push
In response to Trump's advocacy, several Native American organizations have issued strong condemnations. The Association on American Indian Affairs released a statement slamming the push to bring back what they call harmful names. The group emphasized that such mascots do not honor Native peoples but instead reduce them to stereotypes and erase their vibrant, living cultures.
"These mascots and names do not honor Native Peoples — they reduce us to caricatures," the Association stated. They further clarified, "Our diverse Peoples and cultures are not relics of the past or mascots for entertainment."
The recurring theme in these controversies is the clash between political rhetoric and the long-standing efforts by Indigenous communities to gain control over their own representation and move beyond historically inaccurate and damaging stereotypes.
