Trump dollar bills, Bibles, airports: Why is the president’s name everywhere? | Opinion
While walking around the Miami International Airport’s duty free shops recently, I stumbled upon a rack of Trump-branded chocolate bars. The $15 bars showed a triumphant picture of Trump raising his right fist in the air, with an American flag in the backdrop.
The label reads: “47th President Trump.” Underneath, the caption: “Make America great again.” I looked around to see if there were any chocolates named after former presidents Biden or Obama. I couldn’t find any. Nada.
Increasingly, it’s hard to live in America without coming across skyscrapers, government buildings, warships, commemorative coins, Bibles, sneakers or chocolates named after the current president.
Ironically, this branding blitz comes as Trump’s popularity has hit new lows, hurt by inflation, violence-ridden mass deportations and an unpopular war with Iran. Even a new poll by the pro-Trump Fox News network found that 64% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country.
The list of Trump branded items is growing by the day. Just look at some of the latest additions.
The Trump dollar bills: The Treasury Department announced that Trump’s signature will appear on U.S. dollars later this year along with that of the Secretary of the Treasury to honor the nation’s 250th anniversary. It will be the first time that a sitting president’s signature will appear on U.S. paper money, the Treasury’s press release said.
“There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than U.S. dollar bills bearing his name,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. Critics say such statements sound like those one hears from officials in North Korea.
The Trump coins: The administration plans to release several gold Trump coins, with the president’s face on them, to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. One of the coins features a tough image of Trump with fists on the Resolute Desk, designed by the U.S. Mint.
The Trump airports: The Palm Beach International Airport, close to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, was officially renamed “President Donald J. Trump International Airport” on March 30. To get there, you will have to drive down a road named — you guessed it — President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
Before the name change, the Trump family business had filed three trademark applications for “DJT,” “Donald J. Trump International Airport” and “President Donald J. Trump International Airport” to sell watches, jewelry and clothing emblazoned with the airport’s new name, a Politico.com report said.
Trump is also reportedly seeking to rename Washington’s Dulles airport. The administration pressed Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer to support the name change in exchange for funding a rail tunnel in New York, according to Politico and Axios.
The Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Washington’s legendary John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been renamed as the Trump-Kennedy Center, sparking a revolt by performers.
The Trump warships and fighter jets: The U.S. Navy is building a new class of warships, which will be named “Trump class” warships. Likewise, the U.S. Air Force’s newest fighter jet will be named the F-47, after the 47th U.S. president, Trump.
The Trump Gold Card: The Trump administration has announced a million-dollar expedited visa application for wealthy foreigners, the “Trump Gold Card.”
The Trump savings accounts and Trump RX program: The administration has unveiled a $1,000 savings account for American children called “Trump accounts” and a government website to buy prescription drugs directly named “Trump RX.”
Trump reportedly wants his image to be on Mount Rushmore, alongside those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Florida Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna sponsored a bill last year to that effect, but it hasn’t been acted on yet.
The list goes on. While Trump has always branded his real estate, he now seems obsessed with placing his name on everything. When public properties are involved, it raises questions about spending millions of dollars in taxpayer money on new signs, stationary and administrative costs.
In the case of the Trump chocolate bars I saw at the airport, I assume that, like other Trump branded products, the Trump Organization holds the intellectual property rights, while other companies manufacture them under licensing agreements.
Asked about it, MIA communications director Greg Chin wrote to me that the “presidential chocolate collections” have been sold at U.S. airports “for many years, including for previous U.S. presidents and presidential candidates.”
My theory of why Trump is so eager to put his name on things: It’s a combination of narcissism, megalomania and an urge to be remembered by future generations as he turns 80 this year. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t seem to be helping him in the polls.
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