Trump International? What would it take for a U.S. airport to be named after President Trump?
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
He already had an airline, so is an airport next?
As he mulls life after the White House, President Trump has reportedly asked aides about the possibility of a getting a major American airport named after him. The Daily Beast was first to report the news that the president has been inquiring about the process of naming airports including asking advisors what the process entails. The president, however, is reportedly interested not in just any airport. Instead, he’s wants to make sure it’s not one with “crumbling infrastructure” or a bad reputation, according to the report.
For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
He may be limited to red state airports. The feds don’t have oversight of airports except for Washington D.C., so he will have to find a local government willing to entertain the notion. That will likely be in a conservative part of the country.
Daily Beast White House Reporter Asawin Suebsaeng wrote:
“Trump, very likely, will have a number of allied state and national politicians eager to demonstrate their devotion to him with an airport-naming push. But the process isn’t supposed to come until after he leaves office. The fact that it’s on his mind now, amid an exploding coronavirus crisis and accompanying economic problems, demonstrates how far his attention can drift even during weighty and difficult moments.”
The state that voted for President Trump with the biggest margin was Wyoming. Perhaps Cheyenne (CYS) or Casper, Wyoming (CPR) might be amenable. Jackson Hole is also an option though Teton County was one of the few in Wyoming to vote for President-elect Biden (and it wasn’t close).
Related: How the election will change the travel industry
Lots of presidents have received the honor of getting airports named for them including Theodore Roosevelt in Dickinson, North Dakota (DIK), Dwight Eisenhower in Wichita, Kansas (ICT), John Kennedy in New York (JFK), George H.W. Bush in Houston (IAH), and George Washington (he shares the honor with Ronald Reagan) at Virginia’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
Related: President-elect Biden names Mayor Pete for Transportation Secretary
President Trump likely is not amused by one of the latest airports to be named for a former president — The Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The soon-to-be-ex-president may have his eye on something more grand, like a large, international airport. Indeed, some of the most famous airports in the world have been named for former leaders.
Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is among the biggest airports in the world. De Gaulle helped lead the resistance to the Nazi occupation of France, and later became France’s prime minister and was elected twice to the presidency. Or there’s the Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL) in Canada. That airport was named for the 15th prime minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau (He’s also the father of Canada’s current prime minister).
Related: Things no one tells you about Montreal
There’s also the Nelson Mandela International Airport in Cape Verde (RAI) named for Nelson Mandela who helped end apartheid in South Africa and later went on to become president of that country.
Of course, the current occupant of the White House may not have quite the same resume, but he certainly has a long-time love of the airline industry.
Famously, Trump bought an airline in the 1980’s.
In 1989, then businessman Donald Trump bought the struggling Eastern Air Lines Shuttle in a deal valued at $365 million. The carrier served Boston, New York and Washington and Trump promptly renamed it the “Trump Shuttle,” relaunching it with a ton of pomp and circumstance. He actually refurbished each plane to get gold fixtures and plush carpeting at a cost of a million dollars a plane. Eventually, he lost his initial $20 million investment, and much more. The New York Times reported when he turned the operation over to USAir in 1991, he lost at least $100 million dollars he’d personally guaranteed.
Hopefully, any airport named for the president won’t meet the same fate.
President Trump hasn’t always gotten it right when it comes to airports. Back on the Fourth of July of 2019, he gave a speech where he said, “The Continental Army suffered a bitter winter of Valley Forge.. .. found glory across the waters of the Delaware and seized victory from Cornwallis of Yorktown. Our army manned the [unclear]. It rammed the ramparts. It took over the airports. It did everything it had to do.”
Obviously, there were no airports during the Revolutionary War (or the War of 1812 for that matter which he also referenced). The president later said the teleprompter malfunctioned.
Featured image from September 21, 2017 of Donald Trump’s Boeing 757 parked at LaGuardia Airport in New York by Robert Alexander/Getty Images.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Offer ends 11/10/2021.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer expires 11/10/2021.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. *Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.