President Trump has thrown his support behind a Long Island school district's fight to keep its mascot after New York's State Education Board banned the use of Native American-inspired names and logos.
"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 posted on Truth Social on Monday. "Forcing them to change the name, after all of these years, is ridiculous and, in actuality, an affront to our great Indian population."
Trump also urged Education Secretary Linda McMahon to intervene on behalf of the Massapequa School District "Chiefs" on the "very important issue." He compared the school's mascot to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.
"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'?" Trump wrote.
The Trump administration already has threatened federal education funding for states, including Maine, that have LGBTQ policies that go against the president's positions.
The New York State Education Department banned public schools from using "Indigenous names, mascots and logos" in 2023, after some schools resisted an earlier directive from the state.
The New York State Board of Regents cited research from the American Psychological Association that found "the continued use of American Indian mascots, symbols, images, and personalities has a negative effect on not only American Indian students but all students."
Massapequa and the nearly five dozen other state school districts with mascots that violated the order would risk losing state funding if they didn't change them this year.
A state judge dismissed the Massapequa School District's lawsuit challenging the directive last month. The New York Post reported the school board then asked the Trump administration to intervene.
The district and town are named for the Massapequa Tribe that lived on Long Island before European settlers arrived in the 1600s. The school's logos include an "M" topped with a feathered headdress and a Native American man depicted in a warbonnet.
UPDATE: A spokesperson for the New York State Education Department (NYSED) has sent statement to The Hill regarding the Massapequa mascot issue.
"Disrespecting entire groups of people is wrong in any context, but especially in our schools, where all students should feel welcome and supported," NYSED communications director JP O'Hare said. "[The Regents) were compelled to act because certain Native American names and images have been shown to perpetuate negative stereotypes that are demonstrably harmful to children."
O'Hare said Massapequa school leaders did not object during the regulatory process and did not engage with Indigenous leaders or the Department’s Mascot Advisory Committee to determine whether its Native American team name and mascot would be allowed under the guidelines that allow some exceptions.
"Instead, Massapequa decided to pursue litigation challenging the State’s regulations. Unsurprisingly, these cases have been dismissed," O'Hare said. "It is ironic that the federal government now seeks to intervene on an issue that is squarely reserved to the States."
"If members of the Massapequa board of education are genuinely interested in honoring and respecting Long Island’s Native American past, they should talk to the Indigenous people who remain on Long Island. Our regulations, in fact, specifically permit the continued use of Native American names and mascots if approved by local tribal leaders," he added.