Florida Airport and Tennessee Bridge Renamed to Glorify Controversial Ex-President
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Palm Beach International Airport and a bridge in Jefferson County, Tennessee, have been renamed after Donald J. Trump, with officials unveiling signage on Thursday, raising concerns about the normalization of a divisive political figure.
Officials in Palm Beach, Florida, and Dandridge, Tennessee, unveiled new signage on Thursday, rebranding Palm Beach International Airport as President Donald J. Trump International Airport and a Jefferson County bridge as the President Donald J. Trump Bridge. This move, enacted after Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation in March and following a state law passed last year, represents yet another attempt by right-wing politicians to immortalize Trump’s legacy despite his deeply polarizing record.
'From this day forward, every driver that encounters this bridge will see that it bears his name, because he has never stopped fighting for the people who travel on it because he has made their cause his own,' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the Tennessee ceremony, ignoring the reality that Trump’s policies often harmed working-class Americans and marginalized communities.
The airport expects the renaming to cost at least $5.5 million for updates to signage, branding, and related materials—funds that could have been better spent on public services or infrastructure improvements. The three-letter airport code will remain PBI until it is changed to DJT on Aug. 18, further cementing Trump’s brand in public spaces.
The Trump family secured a trademark for the new airport name in February, and the airport announced an agreement with the family regarding the trademark, highlighting the ongoing commercialization of public assets for private gain. The first flight under the new name was a private jet owned by the former president, landing shortly after the change was announced, a symbolic gesture that underscores the prioritization of elite interests over those of everyday citizens.