GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has waded into the controversy over the Washington Redskins name, siding with team owner Daniel Snyder. The billionaire says that the name isn’t offensive.
In fact, the real estate mogul and Republican candidate for president described the name as “a positive.”
“Honestly, I don’t think they should change the name, unless the owner wanted to,” Mr. Trump said in a new interview.
Trump went on to note that the name has been in use for decades and few have been insulted by it until recently. He went on to say that those agitating for the team to drop the name are just engaged in unnecessary political correctness.
The New Yorker went on to claim that far from being insulted, many native Americans are proud of the team’s name.
“I know Indians that are extremely proud of that name. They think it’s a positive,” Trump insisted.
Trump isn’t the first GOP candidate to recently add his voice in favor of keeping the team name intact.
Last week former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said that he didn’t find the team name offensive at all.
“I don’t think it should change it. But again, I don’t think politicians ought to be having any say about that, to be honest with you. I don’t find it offensive. Native American tribes generally don’t find it offensive,” Bush said on October 2.
As to the Democrats, as far back as last year Hillary Clinton said that the team name is offensive and must be changed. For his part, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley also said that it’s “probably time” to dump the name.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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