Trump’s plan to put his name on key US airport and train station was shot down
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has suggested renaming two major transportation hubs - New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport - after himself, reports CNN.
According to sources, last month, Trump approached Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer with a proposal to restore funding for the Gateway Project, which has a total budget exceeding $16 billion.
The program includes constructing a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River to connect New York and New Jersey and modernizing the infrastructure of one of the busiest transportation corridors in the US.
However, Trump’s condition for restoring funding for the project was to rename New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s airport in his honor. Schumer rejected the proposal, stating that he lacks the authority to implement such a demand.
The freezing of Gateway funds has already triggered a legal dispute: New York and New Jersey have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the funding freeze is illegal.
According to CNN, the renaming initiative has sparked significant reaction among lawmakers and the public, although the White House has not officially commented on the matter.
Renaming major public facilities after sitting politicians is unusual in the US and requires broad support from Congress and local authorities. Skeptics have already suggested that even with backing from some legislators, the initiative is unlikely to gain enough votes to pass.
Renaming US landmarks after Trump
Trump has a history of renaming prominent US landmarks after himself. For example, a major road in Florida was recently renamed in his honor.
In early December 2025, the US Institute of Peace was officially renamed after Donald Trump. This occurred amid negotiations over a peace agreement for Ukraine.
The White House chief also sought to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, aiming to place his name alongside that of the former president.
Workers had already begun removing the Kennedy Center’s name to add Trump’s, but the move sparked a major controversy in the US. In response to the sitting president’s attempts to rename landmarks after himself, Congress is reportedly planning to ban such practices.
