‘Unconstrained’ Trump seems to be on a quest to name most everything after himself | Donald Trump

The United States has a history of naming its presidents.

Washington DC has Ronald Reagan Airport, while John F. Kennedy international airport is New York’s main air transportation hub. Hoover Dam straddles Nevada and Arizona; Theodore Roosevelt is one of several former presidents to have a building in Washington, D.C. named after them; Franklin Delano Roosevelt has an island; Abraham Lincoln has the Lincoln Memorial; and George Washington owns the nation’s capital and an entire state.

But Donald Trump threatens to leave them all behind; He is apparently seeking to become the president of the United States, which has many things named after him.

Less than 18 months into his second term, Trump has seen his name, face and signature etched into government buildings, institutions and currency with unprecedented speed, an unapologetic branding expansion that shows no signs of slowing down.

Just last month, Trump launched TrumpRx, a prescription drug website where Americans can purchase prescription drugs. (As of February, the site listed only 43 drugs; more than half of them were available in generic form elsewhere at significantly cheaper prices.)

This came shortly after the White House and the US Navy announced the creation of a new ship. “Trump class” “It’s the largest warship we’ve ever built,” Trump said at the time. In a sign that the ships may be a vanity project rather than an absolute necessity, the Pentagon’s press release stated that the last time the Navy used warships in combat was 35 years ago.

Other branding has seen the Trump name written on federal bodies. In December last year, the administration renamed the US Institute of Peace in Washington DC to the “Donald J Trump United States Institute of Peace”. A White House spokesman said The New York Times renamed the building “as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can achieve for global stability”; Weeks later, Trump launched a war on Iran.

In February 2025, Trump privately elected a new board of directors at the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and appointed himself chairman. Under his chairmanship, the board voted in December to rename the center after Trump: the very next day the words “Donald J Trump and” added on the sign in a font that doesn’t quite match the pre-existing language. Subject to change a legal challenge.

The Republican party was largely pleased that Trump continued his naming adventure. Some even encouraged him: a week after his inauguration, a Republican member of Congress introduced legislation. Carve Trump’s face to Mount Rushmore, and another suggested naming after that an airport.

“There are a lot of narcissists in politics. A lot of them are constrained by politicians in their party or by advisors or cabinet members and they say: ‘This hasn’t really been done, this isn’t such a good idea, this isn’t going to help us.’ But Trump is not constrained by his cabinet, his advisors, and his party,” says Steven Levitsky, a political scientist at Harvard University and co-author of How Democracies Die.

“Republican politicians learned today that the way to get ahead in the Republican Party in 2026 is to please Donald Trump. And it has become clear that one of the things that pleases the boss in a second term is to have his name and face everywhere.”

Trump’s face really clarified things. Giant Soviet-style banners depicting the president were hung on government buildings in Washington, D.C. ministry of justice headquarters and Ministry of Labor.

“It’s rare for public spaces to be filled with images and names of a sitting president,” said Kim L Scheppele, a professor of sociology at Princeton University who has spent years researching autocracies including Hungary and Russia. “Especially that president [is the one who] “He himself ordered that his picture and name be displayed everywhere.”

“Democratic leaders expect to be honored after leaving office; dictators want their image everywhere while they are still in power to demonstrate this power,” Scheppele said.

Decency has often seen presidents wait to have things named after them until they leave office (or, indeed, until they die), an honor usually bestowed by their successors. Not so Trump, who has shown little shame about the effort.

Take the situation in January when Trump offered to fund an infrastructure project in New York, but only if Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York offered to do so. agreed to rename Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles international airport, named after the president.

What about 24 carat commemorative gold coinThere’s an engraved image of Trump standing on a table, which Trump’s hand-picked art commission approved earlier this month. Or the separate $1 coin developed by the U.S. Mint last year. drafts Did he have an air-brushed Trump side profile?

There’s also the not-insignificant matter of Trump’s signature appearing on US paper currency starting later this year; something treasury secretary scott bessent said: in question “it was a powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country”.

To Americans, and certainly to non-Americans, this may seem like a lot. But people within the Trump administration seem happy to pretend that this is all perfectly normal.

“President Trump is focused on saving our country, not garnering recognition. However, given his great accomplishments, including signing the largest tax cut in history, securing the border, restoring peace through the use of force, and more, it’s natural that local officials and other great patriots would want to recognize the incredible work the president has done on behalf of the American people,” said White House spokesman Davis Ingle.

But there are signs that the American public does not share Trump’s love for his own face.

National parks passes that provide access to lands across the US often include views of landscapes or wildlife, but there was outrage last year when the National Park Service announced that the 2026 edition would replace it. Feature of Trump glaring at the pass holderA ghostly George Washington walks behind him.

The announcement excited A cottage industry will emerge There was controversy over producing stickers to cover Trump’s face, an embarrassing development that forced the government to update its policies on passes in January. Now its own website states: “Stickers on physical passes are considered modifications and may void the pass.”