Donald Trump blasts Cleveland Guardians owners over 2022 name change at Ohio rally

Donald Trump has criticized the Dolan family, which owns Cleveland's baseball team, for changing its name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians.

The GOP 2024 Presidential candidate went on a short rant about the team's name change, which was approved just a month before he left office in January 2021, while speaking to voters at his most recent electoral campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday.

'I like sports and I like tradition. So you have a team called the Cleveland Indians. Indians. They're Indians. And they took the team Cleveland Indians and made it to the Cleveland Guardians. Almost like they're in charge of a trust fund' the 77-year-old, 45th U.S. President said at first before repeating the team's name again in total disbelief.

He then aimed a dig at Matt Dolan, who represents Ohio's 24th district in the state's Senate and once ran as the only Republican candidate to not fully support Trump during the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Ohio. Dolan also owns a partial stake in the Guardians.

'And my attitude is anybody that changes the name of the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians should not be a senator. Should not be a governor, Trump said, adding: 'I don't know Matt Dolan, but just know that he's the guy that I guess owns the team in some form and he was in charge of changing the name.'

Donald Trump addressed the Cleveland Guardians' name change at a rally in Ohio on Saturday

Formerly known as the Indians for over a century, Cleveland's only MLB team became the Guardians at the start of the 2022 season

A young Indians fan in the stands holds up a foam Chief Wahoo and a Slider doll in 2018

In the first two seasons that Cleveland's Major League Baseball franchise has played as the Guardians, the team has made the postseason once, finishing third in the AL Central last year. 

Known as the Indians for over a century (1915-2021), Cleveland changed names after the team drew backlash from some fans who felt team's main owner Larry Dolan --now, 93, and Matt's father -- and another one of his sons, Paul, who's acted as the team's CEO/Chairman since 2011, gave in to the wishes of a vocal minority. 

Dolan has repeatedly said his decision to move away from Indians was spurred by a reaction to the national reckoning on racist names and symbols. 

The team wanted to find a name that suited Cleveland's community and history, and following a year-long process that included surveys and interviews with fans, area leaders and front-office members, the team chose Guardians, a name inspired by eight massive, art-deco statues on the Hope Memorial Bridge near the ballpark. 

Trump slammed GOP US Senate candidate Matt Dolan for being behind the name change

Dolan is the son of the Guardians' 93-year-old, main owner, Larry Dolan, who bought the team in 2005. Another one of his sons, Paul, is now the team's Chairman/CEO

However, there was a legal snag along the way as a local roller derby team called the Cleveland Guardians filed a lawsuit against the team alleging trademark infringement. 

But, eventually, the two sides reached an 'amicable resolution,' which allowed both teams to continue using the name. 

It was the final hurdle in the name makeover for the AL franchise, which is scheduled to play its first game of the 2024-25 season on March 28 against another team facing a name rebrand, the Oakland Athletics. 

Since the ball club relocated from Columbus to Cleveland in 1900, there have been six name changes: the Cleveland Lake Shores (1900), Bluebirds (1901), Bronchos (1902), Naps (1903-1914), Indians (1915-2021), and Guardians (2021-now).  

The Guardians will play their season home opener against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on April 8.