Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill to rename Palm Beach airport after Trump
President Donald Trump’s name might soon land on yet another public building.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed into law a bill passed by the Legislature that would rename Palm Beach International Airport as President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
The name change, scheduled to take effect July 1, must still be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the bill text.
The FAA said in a statement Monday that while changing an airport name is a “local issue,” it “must complete some administrative tasks to include updating navigational charts and databases.”
Palm Beach County, which runs the airport, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump frequently flies into and out of Palm Beach International Airport on Air Force One for weekends at his Mar-a-Lago resort about 5 miles away. Democrats recently scored an electoral victory there by flipping a state House seat for a legislative district that includes Trump’s resort and neighbors the airport.
An entity managed by the Trump Organization filed a trademark application last month for the name “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
The bill signed by DeSantis — a Trump rival during the 2024 primaries who later endorsed him — stipulated that Palm Beach County must “at minimum” be granted the “perpetual and unrestricted right” to use the Trump airport name and related abbreviations for airport use at no cost.
The bill to rename the airport was celebrated by one of the president’s sons, Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization.
“Proud to have played a small role in making this happen. Huge thanks to @megforflorida, @GovRonDeSantis, @JamesUtheimerFL, and the overwhelming majority in the Florida House,” he said on X.
Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell decried the signing of the bill in a statement, saying it would 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. Instead of working across the aisle with us to advance those bills, Republicans leaders decided to prioritize wasting five million of your taxpayer dollars on renaming an airport after the President,” Driskell said.
It’s not the first time Trump and his allies have sought to name an airport after him. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., last week introduced a bill that would rename the Palm Beach airport to have Trump’s name.
NBC News reported last month that the Trump administration asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to have Dulles International Airport in Virginia and New York’s Penn Station named after Trump in exchange for releasing federal funds to build a tunnel between New York and New Jersey.
Trump has sought to attach his name to a number of public services and buildings. His name is affixed to the Kennedy Center in Washington and the U.S. Institute of Peace, as well as discount drug programs, savings accounts and a new class of warships.
Last week, the Treasury Department announced that Trump’s signature will go on paper currency, a first for a sitting president. And this month, a federal commission of Trump appointees approved a design that would include his image on a 24-karat commemorative gold coin in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary.
