(AFP) – An airport in Florida will soon be renamed after US President Donald Trump, after a bill proposing the change was approved by the state’s legislature on Thursday. Trump, a real estate mogul who has plastered his name on buildings around the world, has sought to leave his mark on the country in an unprecedented image and building campaign.
Florida’s Republican-led legislature approved a bill to rename the Palm Beach International Airport as the “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” state records show. Governor Ron DeSantis, once a Trump opponent, is expected to sign the measure into law. The airport in Palm Beach, a town known for its sandy beaches and luxurious estates, is just minutes away from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
The airport renaming will also require the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration. It would then become the latest institution to be renamed after Trump. The president’s handpicked board of the Kennedy Center, an arts complex and memorial to late president John F. Kennedy in Washington, voted in December to rename itself the “Trump-Kennedy Center.” The same month, the State Department added Trump’s name to the US Institute of Peace.
Trump has also sought to rename New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after himself, according to US media reports, although those efforts were rebuffed. The Treasury Department has confirmed reports that drafts have been drawn up for a commemorative $1 coin featuring Trump’s image, even though there are laws against displaying the image of a sitting or living president on money.
On Thursday, a large blue banner featuring Trump’s face was draped across the headquarters of the Justice Department, an agency traditionally seen as outside the reach of political influence.
© 2024 AFP
