Several weeks ago, I wrote about how Florida lawmakers passed legislation to name an airport after President Trump. There’s now an update, as we’re learning details about the trademark deal that will allow this, and which parties have the potential to profit.
Airport to be named after President Trump as of July 2026
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. 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.
That means the renaming can now happen, and that’s supposed to take effect as of July 1, 2026. Around $5.5 million has been allocated for implementing the renaming, including updated signage and branding.
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
Palm Beach County officials have just reached a tentative 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.
For those curious, below you can find the new logo for the airport.
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
Several weeks ago, the Florida Legislature passed legislation to rename Palm Beach International Airport after Donald Trump, and that was signed off on by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The airport is expected to get its new name as of July 1, 2026.
Ahead of that, we’ve learned the details of the trademark agreement between Trump’s companies and the county. Trump won’t technically be able to directly profit off of the trademark at the airport. However, Trump’s 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.