Several months ago, we learned how Palm Beach International Airport would officially be renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport, and would also have its three-letter code change, from PBI to DJT. This was due to legislation passed by Florida lawmakers. There’s now an update, as the name change is official effective immediately.
Trump now officially has an airport named after him
In November 2025, Republican Florida State Representative Meg Weinberger introduced a proposal to rename Palm Beach International Airport to President Donald J. Trump International Airport, and for the code to be changed from PBI to DJT. As she explained in a statement:
“President Trump is the most consequential president of our lifetime and a resident of Palm Beach County, which makes it only fitting to honor him, like many other presidents before him, by naming our airport Donald J. Trump International.”
In February 2026, a vote took place on this in the Florida Legislature, and it passed with a strictly partisan vote. This included an 81-30 vote in the House, and a 25-11 vote in the Senate. Then in March 2026, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed off on this. For what it’s worth, around $5.5 million has been allocated for implementing the renaming, including updated signage and branding.
During the overnight hours from July 8 through July 9, 2026, that change has taken place. So not only is signage being updated, but the FAA has also issued an alert to air traffic controllers about the change.
If you go to airline websites, you should also start to see the code DJT being used. In terms of onboard announcements, it’ll be interesting to see how crews refer to the airport — I suspect a higher percentage of pilots than flight attendants will be referring to the airport by its new name in announcements.
We know that Trump has long wanted airports to be named after him, so I’m sure he’s very happy about this. I am curious if one airport is “enough” for him, or if he’ll maybe go for having multiple airports named after him. For example, Trump has also often said he wants Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) to be named after him.
Currently, more than 10 commercial airports in the United States are named after former presidents, including New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Grand Rapids’ Gerald Ford Airport (GRR), and Little Rock’s Clinton National Airport (LIT), among others.
The trademark deal behind Trump’s airport renaming
Several weeks back, Palm Beach County officials reached a trademark deal with President Trump’s companies, following weeks of negotiations. The deal here is unusual, because typically when airports are named after presidents, they don’t have trademarks owned by private companies.
However, Trump’s companies, as well as Palm Beach County officials, have argued that a trademark agreement is necessary not for private profit, but to protect the county from lawsuits.
The agreement for the name is non-exclusive to Palm Beach County, and when it comes to profiting off of this:
- Trump’s companies have agreed not to receive royalties or revenue for the sale of Trump branded items at the airport
- However, the non-exclusivity clause allows for Trump’s companies to sell airport-branded items off-site, given that they have the trademark for it
- Furthermore, Trump’s companies get to make a list of “approved retailers” from which airport stores have to buy their airport-branded merchandise
As part of this agreement, Trump also has veto power over how his biography is displayed at the airport, so he can modify any aspects of it that he doesn’t like. The county can also use Trump’s name, image, and biographical information, to market and promote the airport, but Trump’s companies need to approve all of this beforehand.
I’m not a fan of airports being named after politicians
My opinion on this is the same as it has been about every proposal to rename an airport after a politician, whether a Democrat, Republican, or whatever (and if you don’t believe me, see my post about Las Vegas being renamed after Democrat Harry Reid).
I’m just no a fan of airports being named after politicians:
- Why can’t we just keep airport names simple, and name them after their location, or the cities or regions they serve? There’s no need to complicate things
- It’s one thing to name an airport after someone a vast majority of people can agree on, but to me it’s a bit different to name an airport after a politician, which is always going to be divisive
- At some point this renaming stuff just comes down to partisan politicians ruling in favor of one politician over another, and that just seems like a rabbit hole that’s better avoided
But at this point over 10 airports in the United States have been named after presidents, so I guess there’s no reason to stop now. What’s especially bad here, if you ask me, is that the city’s name is completely being removed from the official name, as it’ll just be President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
Bottom line
As of July 9, 2026, Palm Beach International Airport has officially been renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport, with the three letter code changing from PBI to DJT. This is thanks to a bill that was passed in the Florida Legislature, which was signed off on by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
While Trump won’t technically be able to directly profit off of the trademark at the airport, his companies can sell merch for profit off-site, and they also get to tell airport retailers where they need to buy their merch. For that matter, Trump has full veto power over what his biography at the airport says.