A few weeks back, I discussed how Florida legislators suggested changing the name of an airport to honor President Trump. This proposal has now successfully advanced through the Florida Legislature, making it very likely to become a reality.
Legislators decide to rename airport in honor of President Trump
In November 2025, Republican State Representative Meg Weinberger from Florida brought forth a proposal to change Palm Beach International Airport’s name to Donald J. Trump International Airport. She articulated her rationale in a statement:
“President Trump is the most significant president of our era and resides in Palm Beach County, so it is only appropriate to commemorate him, like many other presidents before him, by naming our airport Donald J. Trump International.”
A vote was conducted in the Florida Legislature on February 17, 2026, resulting in a strictly partisan outcome of 81-30 in favor. Now, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis merely needs to approve this for the renaming to take place.
This isn’t the first instance of Weinberger attempting to rename something in Trump’s honor. In February 2025, she co-sponsored bill HB 987, aimed at renaming a four-mile portion of Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach County (near Mar-a-Lago) after Trump.
I can’t help but wonder if this airport is satisfactory for Trump, or if he may be hoping for a larger airport to be named after him (or perhaps multiple airports could bear his name). For instance, Trump has also expressed interest in having Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) named after him.
Last week, Trump submitted multiple applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office, which covered at least three different name variations that airports might adopt, including the one proposed for Palm Beach International Airport.
At present, over 10 commercial airports in the United States are named after past presidents, including John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York, Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Gerald Ford Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, and Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock, among others.
I’m not in favor of airports named after politicians
My stance on this matter remains unchanged from my previous views on proposals to rename airports after politicians, be they Democrats, Republicans, or otherwise (and if you doubt me, check my post regarding Las Vegas being renamed in honor of Democrat Harry Reid).
I simply don’t support the idea of naming airports after politicians:
- Why can’t airport names just be straightforward, reflecting their location or the cities or regions they serve? There’s no need to complicate matters.
- It’s one thing to name an airport after someone that a large majority can agree on, but to me, naming an airport after a politician is inherently divisive.
- Ultimately, this renaming trend seems to come down to partisan politicians favoring one over another, which strikes me as a path best left untraveled.
However, at this juncture, over 10 airports across the United States have already been named after presidents, so I suppose there’s no reason to halt this practice now…
Key takeaway
In November 2025, a Florida legislator suggested renaming Palm Beach International Airport after Donald Trump. Considering the Republican makeup of the Florida Legislature, it isn’t surprising that this has just moved forward, and now they await Governor DeSantis’s approval. This isn’t the first time an airport will be named in honor of a president, even if I personally find this practice somewhat dubious.