Feb. 17, 2026, 5:56 p.m. ET
Attorneys for President Donald Trump have filed to trademark the phrase “Donald J. Trump International Airport” as Florida lawmakers move toward renaming the Palm Beach airport in his honor.
New filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ‒ which Trump controls ‒ show that attorneys have also filed to trademark “President Donald J. Trump International Airport” and “DJT,” a reference to the president’s initials.
Typically, holding a trademark allows someone to license that use for a fee, but Trump’s trademark attorney said that’s not what’s happening here. Instead, said Michael Santucci of the Fort Lauderdale-based 500Law, the president is protecting his legal rights to prevent bad actors from misusing what he called “the most infringed trademark in the world.”
Santucci said the president is deeply honored by the pending Palm Beach International Airport renaming. The measure has received initial approval by legislative committees, but has not yet been passed into law.
“To be clear, the president and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming,” Santucci said in a message to USA TODAY. “The Trump Organization is, and always has been, willing to provide this right to his hometown county at no charge.”
The president regularly spends weekends at his Mar-a-Lago golf club after flying Air Force One into Palm Beach International Airport.
Trump likes naming things after himself
The president has a long history of naming things for himself, making the case that his name is a powerful, internationally recognized brand, from his golf resorts and a casino to steaks and a university. His name has also been added to the wall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which the administration now refers to as the Trump-Kennedy Center.
One naming expert has dubbed Trump as the “toponymic president,” a reference to how often he attaches his name to things, and how he’s used other renamings, like the Gulf of America, to put his stamp on the world.
The new trademark applications cover not just airport operations, but also the use of the name on collectible coins, watches, neckties and and even airport lounges, according to a review of the documents by USA TODAY.
“The proposed renaming of Palm Beach International Airport is consistent with a long, historical precedent of naming airports in our country after U.S. presidents and other Americans who have made significant contributions to our nation,” Santucci noted.
A proposal pending before Congress would also rename the Washington, DC, Dulles Airport to the “Donald J. Trump International Airport. Although uncommon, it’s not unheard of for two airports to have the same name: Internationally, three airports honor Pope John Paul II, in Poland, Italy and Portugal.
The Palm Beach airport renaming comes as Trump says union officials and unnamed politicians have also suggested renaming New York Penn Station for him. Trump has not directly addressed the Palm Beach renaming, but in a Feb. 16 social media post said he had not suggested renaming Penn Station.
“Also, the naming of PENN Station (I LOVE Pennsylvania, but it is a direct competitor to New York, and “eating New York’s lunch!”) to TRUMP STATION, was brought up by certain politicians and construction union heads, not me ‒ IT IS JUST MORE FAKE NEWS!” he said.
