March 31, 2026
DeSantis Advances Trump Airport Naming Plan
It seems as if Trump is getting his wish in Florida after threatening to withhold funding to build a tunnel between New York and New Jersey if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) failed to have Virginia’s Dulles International Airport and NYC’s Penn Station named after him.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will prompt Palm Beach International Airport to be named after the 47th president, NBC News reported.
The name change is scheduled to take place on July 1, but not before it receives approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which, in a statement, called the situation a “local issue” because it “must complete some administrative tasks to include updating navigational charts and databases.”
The bill, signed March 30 by the 2024 failed presidential candidate, requires Palm Beach County to “at minimum” be granted the “perpetual and unrestricted right” to use the Trump airport name and related abbreviations for airport use at no cost. It was celebrated by Trump’s son, Eric, on X. “Palm Beach International Airport is now officially…. “President Donald J. Trump International Airport! Proud to have played a small role in making this happen. Huge thanks to @megforflorida, @GovRonDeSantis, @JamesUthmeierFL, and the overwhelming majority in the Florida House!” he wrote on the social platform.
Trump is a frequent flyer in and out of the Palm Beach airport, as his Mar-a-Lago residence is close to five miles away. Democratic lawmakers, including Florida House party leader Fentrice Driskell, condemned DeSantis after signing the bill, claiming it will cost taxpayers $5 million. “Life keeps getting more expensive for working families and seniors in Florida, which is why Democrats spent this legislative session fighting for an affordability agenda to lower costs and put more money back in your pocket,” she said.
“Instead of working across the aisle with us to advance those bills, Republican leaders decided to prioritize wasting five million of your taxpayer dollars on renaming an airport after the President.”
After attaching or attempting to attach his name to several public services and buildings, such as the Kennedy Center, it appears that Trump is getting his wish in Florida after threatening to withhold funding to build a tunnel between New York and New Jersey if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) failed to have Virginia’s Dulles International Airport and NYC’s Penn Station named after him.
The move comes at an interesting time, as just days prior, Democrats scored an electoral victory in the county by flipping a state House seat for a legislative district that includes Trump’s resort and neighbors the airport — secured by Emily Gregory.
Hours before the news, Trump’s second-oldest son revealed the design for his father’s presidential library with a video of a tower along the Miami skyline emblazoned with the signature “Trump” lettering. “This landmark on the water in Miami, Florida will stand as a lasting testament to an amazing man, an amazing developer, and the greatest President our Nation has ever known,” he said.
Following in the footsteps of former President Barack Obama, whose presidential library is scheduled to open on Juneteenth in Chicago, the proposed Trump library has already drawn some controversy.
According to The Associated Press, Miami Dade College gave up a 3-acre plot of downtown real estate as a gift for the library placement. In December, a judge dismissed a complaint challenging the gift on the grounds that the college’s board didn’t provide sufficient time for public notice, with the site valued at more than $67 million.
The state also has a portion of road between the airport and his estate recently renamed Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
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