WASHINGTON (AP) — Most U.S. presidents aspire to the kind of greatness that prompts future generations to have important things named after them.
Donald Trump will not leave that to future generations.
As the first year of his second term ends, his administration and allies have put the president’s name on the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and new battleships.
Add to that the “Trump Account” for tax-deferred investments, the TrumpRx government website that will soon offer direct sales of prescription drugs, “Trump Gold” visas costing at least $1 million and the Trump International Peace and Prosperity Route, a transit corridor included in a deal his administration brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
On Friday, he plans to attend a ceremony in Florida, where officials will turn a 4-mile (6-kilometer) stretch of road from the airport to his Mar-a-Lago resort into the Presidential Boulevard of Donald J. Trump.
Another example of Trump’s unorthodox career
It is unprecedented for a sitting president to receive such a number and scale of tributes, especially from members of his administration. While past sitting presidents have often been honored by local officials naming schools and roads after them, it’s extremely rare for airports, federal buildings, warships or other government assets to be named after people who are still in power.
“There’s never been a time in history where we’ve been naming things after presidents who are still in office,” said Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “One could even extend that to presidents who are still alive. That’s what this kind of commemoration should be — honoring fallen heroes.”
White House spokesperson Liz Houston said the TrumpRx website is tied to the president’s agreement to lower the prices of certain prescription drugs, as well as “the long-overdue upgrades to national landmarks, the Lasting Peace Agreement, and the Children’s Wealth Creation Account are historic initiatives that would not have been possible without President Trump’s bold leadership.”
“The administration’s focus is not on smart branding but on achieving President Trump’s goal of making America great again,” Houston said.
The White House noted that the nation’s capital was named for President George Washington and Hoover Dam was named for President Herbert Hoover, when both men were presidents.
For Trump, it’s a continuation of the way he first etched his status into the American consciousness, best known as a real estate developer who plastered his name in large gold letters on luxury buildings and hotels, casinos and products as diverse as ties, wine and steaks.
Trump’s for-profit brand continues
During his 2024 presidential campaign, the candidate launched a Trump-branded watch, fragrance, Bible and sneaker business, including $799 gold high-tops. After taking office again last year, Trump’s business formed Trump Mobile, which plans to launch a gold smartphone and a cryptocurrency meme coin called “$TRUMP.”
This is not to be confused with U.S. Treasury Secretary Brendan Beach’s statement that the U.S. Mint is planning to issue a physical, government-issued Trump coin.
Trump also reportedly told the owners of the NFL team in Washington that he wanted his name on the Commander’s new stadium. The team’s ownership group, which holds naming rights, has not yet commented on the idea. But a White House spokesman last November called the proposed name “beautiful” and said Trump made the stadium’s redevelopment possible.
In December, the Kennedy Center added Trump’s name, a move that angered Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who this week introduced legislation that would ban any federal building or land from being named or renamed after a sitting president — a ban that would retroactively apply to the Kennedy Center and the Institute for Peace.
“I think he’s a narcissist who likes to see his name on it. If he owns a hotel, that’s his business,” Sanders said in an interview. “But he doesn’t own the federal building.”
Sanders likened Trump’s tendency to put his name on government buildings and the like to the behavior of authoritarian leaders throughout history.
“If the American people want to name a building after a late president, that’s fine. That’s what we do,” Sanders said. “But using federal buildings to enhance one’s own status sounds a lot like North Korea’s ‘great leader’ mentality, and I don’t think that’s what the American people want.”
Although some of the naming was suggested by others, the president has made it clear he is pleased with the tributes.
Three months after Trump announced his international peace and prosperity path, the White House said the designation was suggested by Armenian officials and the president gushed about it at a White House dinner.
“It’s a very beautiful thing that they named it after me. I’m really grateful. It’s actually a big thing,” he told a group of Central Asian leaders.
Presidential historian Engel said such an approach could send a signal to people that “the easiest way to gain access and favor with the president is to feed his ego and give him something or name something after him.”
Supporters said the tribute was well deserved
Some proposals to honor Trump include Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., introducing legislation in Congress to designate June 14 as “Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day,” placing the president alongside the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington and Jesus Christ, whose birthdays are considered national holidays.
Florida Republican Rep. Greg Staub has introduced legislation that would rename the Washington area’s rapid transit system, known as Metro, “Trump Trains.” North Carolina Republican Rep. Addison McDowell has introduced legislation to rename Washington Dulles International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport.
McDowell said giving Dulles a new name makes sense because Trump has announced plans to revamp the airport, which currently honors former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.
The congressman said he wanted to honor Trump because he believes the president has been a champion against the scourge of fentanyl, a personal issue McDowell faced after the overdose death of his brother. But he also noted Trump’s efforts to forge peace agreements around the world and called him “one of the most influential presidents of all time.”
“I think this is a person who deserves respect, whether they are still president or not,” he said.
More efforts are underway in Trump’s adopted home state of Florida.
Republican state Rep. Meg Weinberg said she is working to rename Palm Beach International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport, potentially causing confusion with plans for Dulles Airport.
The road the president will see Friday isn’t the first asphalt in Florida to herald Trump’s return to the White House.
In the southern Florida city of Hialeah, officials renamed a street there President Donald J. Trump Boulevard in December 2024.
Trump, speaking at a Miami business conference next month, called it a “tremendous honor” and said he liked the mayor for it.
“I love anyone who names a boulevard after me,” he said.
After a while, he added, “A lot of people came back from Hialeah and they said, ‘They just named a road after you.'” I said, “That’s okay.” That’s a start, right? This is a start. “
