Florida lawmakers this week approved renaming the international airport in West Palm Beach after President Donald Trump, just days after the Trump family company filed to trademark the use of the president’s name on airports. The legislation, which passed the Florida Senate on Thursday, awaits the signature of Gov. Ron DeSantis. If signed and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Palm Beach International Airport will become the President Donald J. Trump International Airport in July.
The airport rename reflects a broader pattern of naming public and private entities after Trump during his presidency, while some officials question the appropriateness of honoring sitting presidents through major infrastructure naming.
The legislation gives Florida power to name large commercial airports in the state while keeping the names of the state’s six other major commercial airports unchanged. The airport sits near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach. The renaming is expected to cost as much as $5.5 million for new signage, branding and other updates.
The Trump Organization said in a statement that it filed applications with the federal trademark office seeking exclusive rights to use the president’s name on airports and dozens of related items, including buses shuttling passengers, umbrellas and flight suits. The organization said it did not seek profit, only protection against “bad actors” given that the Trump name is the “most infringed trademark in the world.”
Trump’s Expanding Naming Campaign
Unlike past U.S. presidents, Trump is not waiting for future generations to name things after him. His handpicked board voted last year to rename Washington’s Kennedy Center as the Trump Kennedy Center. Trump’s allies also put his name on the U.S. Institute of Peace and a new class of battleships yet to be built. The Trump Organization has also created “Trump Accounts” for tax-deferred investments, the TrumpRx government website offering direct sales of prescription drugs, and the “Trump Gold Card” visa that costs at least $1 million.
Florida Voices Divide
GOP state Sen. Debbie Mayfield, who sponsored the Senate bill, said the new name was a good fit for the county since Trump had made it his home.
U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, a Democrat whose district includes the airport, called the name change “misguided and unfair,” saying the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature had ignored public input. “Decisions about naming major infrastructure should wait until after an honoree’s service has concluded — and should include meaningful input from the local residents and communities most directly affected,” Frankel said.
The County’s Political Shift
The airport lies in Palm Beach County, which historically was a Democratic stronghold but has shifted to the right over the past decade. The county in 2024 picked Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by fewer than 6,000 votes out of more than 748,000 cast.
When asked whether DeSantis planned to sign the legislation, his press secretary, Molly Best, said Friday that the governor had not yet received the bill. When he does, “he will review it in its final form,” she said.