President Donald Trump is confirmed to attend today’s Washington Commanders home game against the Detroit Lions at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, as the NFL honors military veterans during its Salute to Service initiative ahead of Veterans Day.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news, announcing that Trump will attend today’s Commanders’ home game against the Detroit Lions. He will be a guest of the Commanders’ owner, Josh Harris, and participate in halftime activities recognizing those who have served.​

Commanders Team President Mark Clouse confirmed the visit in a statement: “We are honored to welcome President Trump to the game as we celebrate those who have served and continue to serve our country. The entire Commanders organization is proud to participate in the NFL’s league-wide Salute to Service initiative, recognizing the dedication and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans, active-duty service members, and their families this Sunday.”

This marks the first time in 47 years that a sitting U.S. president has attended a regular-season NFL game at the Maryland stadium. The last sitting president to attend was Jimmy Carter, who witnessed Washington’s 9-5 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on October 2, 1978, at RFK Stadium.​

Despite Donald Trump’s planned participation in the halftime tribute, the ongoing federal government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, which reached its 40th day on November 8, 2025, has forced the Pentagon to cancel traditional military elements at NFL games across the league.

The timing of Trump’s attendance announcement also comes with significant context regarding the team’s proposed $3.7 billion stadium at the old RFK Stadium site.

Donald Trump wants the Commanders’ new stadium named after him

Schefter and Don Van Natta Jr. had reported that Trump has privately communicated through back-channel channels his desire to have the new Commanders stadium named after him as a tribute. This comes in quite similar to Lambeau Field (named after the Green Bay Packers’ founding coach, Curly Lambeau).

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt essentially confirmed the report, telling ESPN, “That would be a beautiful name, as it was President Trump who made the rebuilding of the new stadium possible.”

However, Trump had previously threatened to block the entire stadium deal in July 2025 unless the team changed its name back to the Redskins from the Commanders. A demand the team and city refused. The franchise had abandoned the Redskins name in 2020 due to concerns about its offensive nature to Native American communities. Despite his threat, Trump did not follow through, and the D.C. The City Council voted 11-2 in September to approve the stadium project.

The stadium will seat around 65,000 fans, and the new venue is slated to open in 2030, but there’s a catch to Trump’s ambitions.

While the Commanders can negotiate lucrative naming-rights deals with corporate sponsors, they don’t hold the power to name the stadium after an individual. The land remains under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, and the District of Columbia Council will retain leasing authority under the legislation passed in September.

Still, Trump’s influence can’t be entirely dismissed. As president, he controls the federal agencies tasked with environmental and land-use approvals tied to the RFK redevelopment. That leverage could play to his advantage if he decides to test the city’s boundaries.