President Trump said Wednesday that it made little sense to force sports teams to get rid of names referencing Native Americans.

Mr. Trump pointed to a recent dispute over a local high school in Massapequa, Long Island, whose team mascot, the Chiefs, was on the chopping block.

“I think the Indian population is a great part of this country — has a great heritage. And we were talking about Massapequa, Long Island. … They call themselves the Chiefs,” he said.

“The Kansas City Chiefs, and they’re changing, and they have a great team, great people, great owners, great coach and quarterback.”

“I see nothing wrong with it. They call them the Warriors, and not that team, but a lot of other teams,” he said. “And when you go back to Indians, they don’t know why these names are being taken off.”

Mr. Trump made an exception for the NFL team formerly known as the Redskins. He said that name is “a little different.”

The Washington Redskins changed their name in 2022 and eventually adopted the name Commanders.

Last year, Commanders owner Josh Harris hinted at the possibility of changing the name again in the future, but closed the door on that idea in February.  

Mr. Trump, though, criticized Cleveland for changing their baseball team from the Indians to the Guardians.

“Why would you take the name Indians off the Cleveland Indians?” he asked. “It just doesn’t make sense to me. So, we’re about bringing common sense back to this country. … I think most people agree with me.”

“To change the name of the Cleveland Indians, as an example, to Cleveland Guardians is not the same, and I’m sure it has an impact on the team.”

• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.