Presidents have a long history of naming things after themselves.
Palm Beach International Airport could be renamed after Donald Trump
Florida lawmakers are considering a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport after Donald Trump.
Lawyers for President Donald Trump have applied to trademark the phrase “Donald J. Trump International Airport” as the Florida Legislature moves to rename Palm Beach Airport after him.
A new application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which oversees President Trump, reveals that lawyers have also applied to trademark “Donald J. Trump Presidential International Airport” and “DJT,” named after the president’s initials.
Normally, owning a trademark allows someone to license its use for a fee, but President Trump’s trademark attorney said that’s not the case this time. Instead, Michael Santucci of Fort Lauderdale-based 500Law said the president is protecting his legal rights to prevent bad actors from exploiting what he calls “the most violated trademark in the world.”
Santucci said the president is honored to see the pending renaming of Palm Beach International Airport. The measure has received initial approval from a legislative committee but has not yet become law.
“To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalties, license fees or financial consideration from the proposed airport renaming,” Santucci said in a message to USA TODAY. “The Trump Organization has been, and continues to be, willing to provide this right to his home county at no cost.”
After arriving at Palm Beach International Airport on Air Force One, the president often spends his weekends at Mar-a-Lago Golf Club.
Trump likes to put his name on things
Presidents have a long history of attaching their names to things, from golf resorts and casinos to steakhouses and universities, asserting that their name is a strong, internationally recognized brand. His name was also added to the wall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which the administration now calls the Trump Kennedy Center.
One naming expert calls President Trump a “toponymic president” because of how often he names things after himself and how he uses other name changes, such as the Gulf of America, to identify himself to the world.
The new trademark application covers not only airport operations, but also collectible coins, watches, neckties and even the use of the name in airport lounges, according to a review of documents by USA TODAY.
“The proposed renaming of Palm Beach International Airport is consistent with a long and historic precedent for naming our nation’s airports after U.S. presidents and other Americans who have made significant contributions to our country,” Santucci said.
A proposal pending in Congress would also change the name of Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., to Donald J. Trump International Airport. Although unusual, it is not unheard of for two airports to have the same name. Internationally, three airports in Poland, Italy and Portugal pay homage to Pope John Paul II.
The Palm Beach Airport name change comes after President Trump said union leaders and unnamed politicians have also suggested renaming New York’s Penn Station. Although President Trump has not directly addressed the idea of renaming Palm Beach, he said in a social media post on February 16 that he is not proposing to rename Penn Station.
“Also, the naming of PENN Station (I love Pennsylvania, but it’s a direct competitor to New York and is eating New York’s lunch!”) as Trump Station was brought up by certain politicians and construction union heads, not me. That’s just fake news! ” he said.
