Florida airport renamed after Donald Trump, first for a sitting president

Assignment Editor

Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, has officially changed its name to President Donald J. Trump International Airport, effective today.

It’s the first time an airport will bear the name of a sitting president. Both John F. Kennedy Memorial Airport in Ashland, Wisconsin, and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City were named in 1963 after JFK was assassinated.

On May 4, the FAA received a request from the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners to revise the name.

The renaming was mandated by a state law signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on March 30.

Under the agreement, Palm Beach County is allowed to use the president’s name for rebranding, signage, merchandise and other purposes. It also provides a window for third-party approved retailers to sell products featuring the name. According to county attorneys, the trademark agreement is designed to protect the county and state from lawsuits.

The Palm Beach County Department of Airports estimated the total cost of renaming the airport to be $5.5 million. That funding could potentially be provided by the state of Florida as part of its next budget.

The Trump Organization filed to trademark the name, stating that neither President Donald Trump nor his family would receive royalties, licensing fees or financial compensation from the name change. Instead, the trademark would protect the name for the county and state from lawsuits.

The airport is mulling improvements to become “a world-class” facility following its name change to President Donald J. Trump International Airport, according to Palm Beach County Administrator Joe Abruzzo in a report by the Palm Beach Post.

Abruzzo said there could be more modern terminals and upgrades to the overall passenger experience.

During a speech earlier this month at the Forum Club in West Palm Beach, Trump said major upgrades were coming to the airport, but he did not specify what they would be.

Airports named after U.S. presidents

There are now 13 airports named after a president, including three general aviation airports and a regional airport.

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, New York, December 1963, after the assassination.
• George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston, Texas, 1997
• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) — Washington, D.C., 1998
• Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR), Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999
• Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI), Springfield, Illinois, 2004
• Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT), Little Rock, Arkansas, 2012
• Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT), Wichita, Kansas, 2014
• Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport (DIK), Dickinson, North Dakota, 2020

The three general aviation airports and regional airport named after presidents:

• John F. Kennedy Memorial Airport (ASX) in Ashland, Wisconsin, 1963
• Jimmy Carter Regional Airport (ACJ) in Americus, Georgia, in 2009
• Roosevelt Memorial Airport (5A9) near Warm Springs, Georgia, in 1932 in honor of then-Gov. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• Harry S. Truman Regional Airport (2M1) in Bates City, Missouri