Reports have confirmed that Trump has long dreamed of having his name attached to one of the largest most prominent airports in the country, something I can only imagine has become more important to him now that he’s left the presidency in embarrassing shambles.
Lacking in creativity once again, it seems that the former President was dead set on “Trump International.” However, Palm Beach County is making it very clear right off the bat that their airport will not be used to soothe Donald Trump’s fragile ego.
The Sun-Sentinel reports that the idea of renaming the airport in Trump’s honor was most recently touted by Sarasota County commissioner and the vice-chairman of the Florida Republican Party, Christian Ziegler. But County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay was quick to note that the idea does not have her support.
Speaking with the publication, McKinlay explained why she and five other county commissioners are not behind the idea of a Trump-honoring airport in Palm Beach.
“When people hear [Palm Beach], they envision our beaches, our equestrian sports, and in some cases our agricultural contributions,” she said. “It is a lifestyle.”
She says that a name like Trump International is “better-suited for his golf courses, not our airport” and suggested that Zeigler “stick to renaming his own county facilities, not ours.”
The Sun-Sentinel goes on to note that quick refusal to name the Palm Beach airport after the one-term, twice-impeached former president is likely foreshadowing the struggles Donald Trump will face in stamping his name and legacy all over the United States after the havoc he wreaked for four years — especially in the south Florida area that is predominantly Democratic.
It’s not uncommon for past presidents to have their name attached to things like roads, buildings, schools, parks, and even airports. However, presidential historian and Lynn University professor Robert Watson explains why Donald Trump will likely run into issues accomplishing such a thing that his predecessors did not.
“I imagine in a couple of years when there’s talk about renaming [things] for him — Trump could be the outlier, the anomaly,” Watson stated. “He was so controversial. He generates such controversy that it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to touch it.”