by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:45 AM ET, Fri February 20, 2026
Palm Beach International Airport in Florida might soon be named after President Donald Trump.
According to CNN, Florida lawmakers passed a bill in the state Senate, with 25 in favor and 11 against, which will now go to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for signing into law or vetoing. As a staunch Republican, he’s expected to sign the bill changing the airport’s name.
Following his approval, the measure would then go to the Federal Aviation Administration for approval, and would become enacted in July. It's expected that the FAA would approve the name change.
Republican lawmakers in Florida explained that they wanted to honor the first president elected from Florida: “This is the President’s hometown, he lives five miles away from the airport,” Republican Florida Rep. Meg Weinberger and bill co-sponsor, told CNN affiliate WLUK.
Yet Democrats in Florida are raising concerns about potential issues with the name change, such as a lack of input from county residents and the possibility that Trump could profit from it. Last week, the Trump Organization’s private entity that handles licensing and trademarks just applied for trademarks for “DONALD J. TRUMP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,” “PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT,” and “DJT.”
A spokesperson from the Trump Organization has said the president and his family will not receive any financial support from the name change. An amendment in the Florida legislature to prevent Trump from profiting from the name change failed.
President Trump has renamed the Kennedy Center after himself earlier this year, as well as a new class of battleships and the US Institute of Peace. Trump also has a bill open to rename Washington Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., after himself, and has toyed with the idea of renaming New York’s Penn Station after himself.
Congresswoman Lois Frankel, a Democrat representing the city in which the airport is located, said in a statement that it’s “misguided and unfair that the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature ignored the voices of Palm Beach County by pushing forward a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport without giving County residents a real opportunity for input.”
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