WASHINGTON 鈥� Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Jeb Bush have weighed in on the Washington Redskins鈥� name controversy, saying the team shouldn鈥檛 change the name.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 find it offensive,鈥� Bush told SiriusXM鈥檚 鈥淭he Arena.鈥� 鈥淣ative American tribes generally don鈥檛 find it offensive.鈥�
Sides are split on a Redskins name change. Proponents say the nickname is a symbol of pride for fans who align with the squad鈥檚 hardnose playing style and lineage of NFL Hall of Fame players.
Opponents say the term 鈥渞edskin鈥� is a racial slur toward Native Americans. Some have protested the team before games; others have said outright that the Redskins should consider a name change.
In July, a federal judge of the team鈥檚 federal trademark registrations, marking a victory for Native American activists.
During his SiriusXM interview, Bush recalled a similar incident in Florida聽during his time as governor.聽Controversy surrounded the name of Florida State University鈥檚 football team 鈥� the Seminoles 鈥� until the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Seminole Nation of Oklahoma endorsed the nickname.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a sport for crying out loud,鈥� Bush exclaimed about the Redskins鈥� issues. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a football team. Washington has a huge fan base. I鈥檓 missing something, I guess.鈥�
In a separate with The New York Times, Trump agreed with Bush.
鈥淗onestly, I don鈥檛 think they should change the name, unless the owner wanted to,鈥� he said.
Trump told the Times that the issue is another example of unnecessary political correctness.
鈥淚 know Indians that are extremely proud of that name,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淭hey think it鈥檚 positive.鈥�
On Sunday, the Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-20, at FedEx Field in Landover.
