A Florida airport was officially renamed in honour of US President Donald Trump on Thursday, marking the latest in a series of moves by his supporters to place his name on prominent public landmarks and government initiatives.
Formerly known as Palm Beach International Airport, the facility will now operate as President Donald J. Trump International Airport, following legislation signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The occasion was marked by the arrival of Trump’s son, Eric Trump, aboard the family’s private Boeing 757, popularly known as “Trump Force One”. Speaking to Fox News after landing, Eric Trump described the development as a proud moment.
“A beautiful day,” a grinning Eric Trump said on Fox News at the newly minted President Donald J. Trump International Airport, a short drive from the family’s Mar-a-Lago golf resort and compound.
The airport renaming was signed into law by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis.
“I don’t think there’s anybody more synonymous with Palm Beach than Donald Trump and maybe all of Florida,” Eric Trump said.
He pointed out that the main road leading out of the airport is already called “President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.”
And now anyone flying into Palm Beach will have a ticket where “you’re going to see ‘DJT’ in perpetuity.”
Travelers at the airport Thursday morning were mixed on the name change.
Corporate pilot Chris Bailey welcomed the switch, telling AFP that Trump has “certainly done enough to warrant a name of an airport.”
But others were hostile.
“Palm Beach is a better brand. People don’t really like Donald Trump,” John Manov, a doctor, said. “It seems in poor taste.”
Broader effort to expand Trump’s public legacy
The airport renaming comes amid a broader campaign to associate Trump’s name and image with public infrastructure and official institutions, breaking with the long-standing American convention of avoiding such honours for serving presidents.
In Tennessee, officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were scheduled to unveil the Donald J. Trump Bridge on Thursday.
Washington has also seen several Trump-related changes, including the renaming of the United States Institute of Peace. Large portraits of the president have appeared on government buildings, while several federal initiatives now carry the Trump name.
An attempt to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after Trump was later blocked by a court.
The administration has also introduced Trump-branded government programmes, while the president’s image is expected to appear on certain US passports and is already featured on National Park passes. A new class of US naval ships has also been announced in his name.
The US Treasury has additionally confirmed that Trump’s signature will appear on US dollar banknotes later this year.
Critics argue that the growing use of Trump’s name and image across public institutions resembles the personality cults often associated with authoritarian governments.
Responding to such criticism, Eric Trump said that projects bearing the Trump name inevitably attract controversy, adding that his father felt both “honoured” and “humbled” by the decision to rename the Florida airport after him.
With input from agencies
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