Palm Beach County officials have rejected Donald Trump’s dream of having his name attached to one of the United States’ most prominent international airports.
As noted by The Sun-Sentinel, the former president reportedly has talked of one day having Palm Beach International renamed as ‘Trump International.’ The idea was recently floated by Christian Ziegler, the vice-chairman of the Florida GOP. However, County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay has made it clear that she does not support the idea.
During a brief discussion with the news outlet, McKinlay explained why she, along with five other county commissioners, are not in agreement with the prospect of the airport being renamed after the twice-impeached, one-term president.
“When people hear [Palm Beach], they envision our beaches, our equestrian sports, and in some cases our agricultural contributions,” McKinlay said. “It is a lifestyle.”
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McKinlay also said she believes the name Trump International is a name “better-suited for his golf courses, not our airport” as she suggested that Ziegler “stick to renaming his own county facilities, not ours.”
The publication notes that Palm Beach County’s swift rejection of the idea could be a foreboding of the difficulties Trump could face attempting to have his name displayed on buildings, schools, street signs, and highways in the Southern region of Florida, which is predominantly Democratic-leaning.
Presidential historian and Lynn University professor Robert Watson, explained that while many past presidents have had the honor of their names being attached to buildings, airports, schools, and roads, Trump will likely face difficulties in his pursuit to be remembered in the same light as his predecessors.
“I imagine in a couple of years when there’s talk about renaming [things] for him — Trump could be the outlier, the anomaly, “Watson said. “He was so controversial. He generates such controversy that it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to touch it.”
