America’s Biggest Airport Will Be Renamed After Donald Trump, And His Family Will Keep The Profits
Palm Beach International is being renamed after Trump in a 4-3 county vote. His family company controls the merchandise, selects the vendors, keeps the profits, and the region has no way out.
Palm Beach International Airport is getting a new name, named after Donald Trump. The Trump family company controls the trademark, selects the stockists, and keeps 100% of the profits from off-site sales. The region cannot opt out of the agreement itself.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben described the process as “very unusual” for a presidential honorarium. He flagged the structure that allows the Trump family to profit from off-site merchandise sales, the rule that airline vendors must buy from vendors chosen by the Trump family, and the company’s power to control how Trump’s image and likeness is used in airport advertising.
The Palm Beach County Commission approved the deal on a 4-3 vote on May 5. Three Republicans voted yes (Maria G. Marino, Marci Woodward, and Mayor Sara Baxter). Democrat Maria Sachs joined them, citing Trump’s local ties, potential economic benefits, and the risk of losing the nation’s transportation funding if the deal collapses. Three other Democrats (Gregg K. Weiss, Joel G. Flores, and Bobby Powell Jr.) voted no. They pointed to the lack of review time (the final agreement arrived on Monday for a vote on Tuesday) and the absence of any termination clause.
Trump personally signed the licensing agreement on Sunday, May 3, alongside DTTM Operations LLC, the family’s branding company. Donald Trump Jr. he is the president of DTTM. After the commission’s vote, Eric Trump posted the airport’s proposed logo on social media.
DTTM is a Delaware company that owns and licenses Donald Trump’s trademarks, including Mar-a-Lago, Trump National Golf Club, and Truth Social. It filed for the trademarks “Donald J. Trump International Airport,” “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” and “DJT” in mid-February, a few weeks before Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida HB 919 on March 30. That bill is what made the renaming possible.
The Trump family’s control only applies to properties bearing the name of the airport. The county still retains revenue from general airport sales, such as food, beverages, and other concessions. DTTM access is all with the new airport name.
Within that channel, DTTM has full control. It can sell airport-branded merchandise wherever it wants (online, at other locations, or through other organizations) and keep all profits. Airport vendors selling on site must purchase any branded merchandise from vendors selected by DTTM. DTTM also has 30-day copyright rights over all logos, brand guidelines, and any use of Trump’s image, likeness, or biographical information in airport advertising.
The license is perpetual. A state can opt out only if the FAA refuses or withdraws approval, or if state lawmakers change the law. The rebranding is expected to cost $5.5 million. The district is asking the state to pay for it.
District Attorney David Ottey defended the seller’s clause as a quality control. He admitted that the authorized dealers have not been identified.
The US has 8 other airports named after presidents. JFK was renamed in honor of Kennedy after his assassination in 1963. Ronald Reagan Washington National was renamed in 1998, nine years after the end of Reagan’s second term. George Bush Intercontinental came after the presidency. Gerald R. Ford International, Abraham Lincoln Capital, Bill and Hillary Clinton National, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National, and Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional are all named after them either ex officio or posthumously. None have been renamed while the president is still in power. In none of these cases did the independent family business have a name or hold the consent and rights of the seller as part of the agreement.
