President Donald Trump’s name may soon be on another public building.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill passed by the Legislature that will rename Palm Beach International Airport as President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
The name change, which is scheduled to take effect July 1, still has to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the bill.
The FAA said in a statement Monday that while changing the airport’s name is “a local issue,” it “must complete other administrative tasks to include updating navigation charts and information databases.”
Palm Beach County, which manages the airport, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump often flies to Palm Beach International Airport on Air Force One on weekends to his Mar-a-Lago resort 5 miles away. Democrats recently scored an election victory there by flipping a state House seat in a legislative district that includes Trump’s territory and the airport’s neighbors.
The Trump Organization filed a trademark application last month for the name “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
The bill signed by DeSantis – a rival of Trump during the 2024 primaries that later endorsed him – stated that Palm Beach County must “at a minimum” be granted the “indefinite and unlimited right” to use the name of the Trump airport and related abbreviations for free use.
The bill for the renaming of the airport was celebrated by one of the president’s sons, Eric Trump, senior vice president of the Trump Organization.
“We are proud to have played a small role in making this happen. Big thanks to @megforflorida, @GovRonDeSantis, @JamesUtheimerFL, and the great majority in the Florida House,” he told X.
Florida House Democratic leader Fentrice Driskell criticized the signing of the bill in a statement, saying it would cost taxpayers $5 million.
“Life continues to be very expensive for working families and seniors in Florida, which is why Democrats are spending this legislative session fighting for an agenda to be able to reduce costs and return more money to your pocket. Instead of working across the board with us to improve those bills, Republican leaders have decided to prioritize wasting five million of your taxpayer dollars by renaming the airport after the President,” said Driskell.
This is not the first time Trump and his allies want to name an airport after him. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., last week introduced a bill that would rename the Palm Beach International Airport after Trump.
NBC News reported last month that the Trump administration asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to have Dulles International Airport in Virginia and New York’s Penn Station named after Trump in order to release federal funds to build a tunnel between New York and New Jersey.
Trump wants to attach his name to many public services and buildings. His name is attached to the Kennedy Center in Washington and the US Institute of Peace, as well as drug discount programs, savings accounts and a new class of warships.
Last week, the Treasury Department announced that Trump’s signature would appear on the paper money, a first for a sitting president. And this month, a federal commission on Trump appointees approved a design to include his image on a commemorative 24-karat gold coin to honor the country’s 250th anniversary.
