Trump again weighs in on Massapequa mascot fight; terms state decision 'ridiculous'
President Donald Trump holds a Massapequa Chiefs logo shirt in the Oval Office of the White House. Credit: Instagram
For the second time in a week, President Donald Trump has voiced his support for the Massapequa school district in its battle to keep "Chiefs" as the official school mascot.
Trump posted a photo of himself holding a navy blue-and-gold sweatshirt emblazoned with the words "Massapequa Chiefs," adorned with the mascot — a Native American wearing a feathered headdress.
The state's Board of Regents banned public schools from using Native American mascots, logos and team names in the spring of 2023. Local Native American leaders have said they "perpetuate racist symbolism."
The state's decision affected 13 districts across Long Island, nine of which have since taken steps to comply with the ruling.
The four remaining districts — Connetquot, Massapequa, Wantagh and Wyandanch — all risk the loss of state aid if they don't implement the changes to their branding by June 30. Those districts filed a lawsuit against the ban in 2023. Last month, the lawsuits were dismissed by U.S. Chief District Judge Margo K. Brodie on the grounds they did not have the capacity to sue the state and lacked sufficient evidence to bolster claims made in those suits.
At Trump's request, the U.S. Department of Education last week announced it had launched an investigation into the state Board of Regents and its decision to withhold state funding for districts that did not comply with the ban. The federal education department's Office for Civil Rights has said it will assess whether New York is discriminating against Native Americans on the basis of race and national origin.
Trump's post Monday on his official Instagram account — @realdonaldtrump — was word-for-word the same message he posted last week on his official account on Truth Social.
"I agree with the people in Massapequa, Long Island ...," Trump wrote, "who are fighting furiously to keep the Massapequa Chiefs logo on their Teams and School. Forcing them to change the name, after all these years, is ridiculous."
Trump concluded with: "LONG LIVE THE MASSAPEQUA CHIEFS!"
State education officials have argued that the Trump administration’s efforts to get involved in the dispute contradict their stated position that education should be returned "back to the states," Newsday has reported.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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