US President Trump vowed on Monday to fight for Long Island town to keep its school’s team name and logo after New York State demanded their removal because of a ban on Native American imagery.
Recall that the Massapequa school board had urged Trump after losing a tooth-and-nail battle in court for almost two years to keep “Chiefs,”; a nod to the area’s Native American ancestors as the school’s logo.
However, in a post on his Truth Social media account on Monday night, Trump asked his highly capable Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to fight for the people of Massapequa.
“I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island, who are fighting furiously to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo on their Teams and School,” Trump said.
“Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population.”
He continued, The School Board, and virtually everyone in the area, are demanding the name be kept.
“It has become the School’s identity and, what could be wrong with using the name, “Chief”;? I don’t see the Kansas City Chiefs changing their name anytime soon! I am asking my highly capable Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, to fight for the people of Massapequa on this very important issue.”
In 2023, New York’s Department of Education instructed every school with Native American team connections to rebrand.
The decision sparked a lawsuit from Massapequa and a handful of other towns.
