Why the NFL refuses to be Trump’s next billboard
President Donald Trump wants his name back in the NFL spotlight, but the league has carefully mastered the art of starving him of it.
Donald Trump still wants a piece of the NFL. Perhaps even a stadium that bears his name. But the league has learned to do something Trump hates most: ignore him.
Last weekend, Trump made an appearance in the owner’s box of Washington Commanders boss Josh Harris and later stopped by the Fox broadcast booth. The photo ops were classic Trump. Show up, get on camera, plant a narrative. But this time, something was different. Nobody in the NFL took the bait.
Fox may chase ratings, but the NFL itself has stayed silent. The league’s executives, owners, and even commentators moved on as if the former president hadn’t been there. No fiery tweets, no rebuttals, no press releases. Just silence. That silence might be the most powerful statement Roger Goodell has ever made.
Holy Sh*t. This is brutal. I’ve never seen him get booed this much.
— Dean Withers (@itsdeaann) November 9, 2025
Americans are turning against Trump, and they’re letting him know. pic.twitter.com/oIo9WDpEBv
The American institution Trump can’t bully anymore
Trump’s obsession with the NFL goes back decades, to his short-lived ownership of the USFL’s New Jersey Generals. Since then, he’s tried to use football and the league’s enormous popularity as a cultural stage.
In 2016, his attacks on players kneeling during the national anthem put the NFL squarely in his political crosshairs. At the time, the league tried to placate him, and it nearly tore its fan base in half. Now, it’s a different story.
When Trump mocks “sissy football” on Truth Social or threatens to move World Cup games out of Massachusetts, the league’s response is simply not to respond at all. The NFL has realized that engagement is fuel, and it has stopped handing him matches.
Trump wants his name on everything, from buildings, planes, golf courses, to now, apparently stadiums. Reports suggest he’s been lobbying Harris to name the Commanders’ new $3.8 billion stadium after him. But the NFL doesn’t do politics when it comes to its brand. Stadium naming rights are corporate business, and there’s no upside in alienating half the country or the artists who fill those stadiums.
Even longtime Trump associates like Patriots owner Robert Kraft have kept their distance. Kraft used to be considered a friend of Trump’s, but apparently hasn’t spoken to him since January 6, 2021. That silence says as much as any press conference.
Trump’s strategy is always to try to get a reaction, and with this, he wins the headlines. The NFL has flipped the formula. By refusing to engage, they deny him the attention he craves.
Meanwhile, the league’s business has never been stronger. The NFL remains America’s most watched, most profitable entertainment property. Bad Bunny at halftime, international expansion, and record ratings show that the NFL’s focus is global, not political. In 2025, Trump may still crave a fight with the league that rejected him. But the NFL has made its stance clear without saying a word.
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