Donald Trump’s aides are deciding what to plaster their boss’s name on next, according to a new report.
The president, 80, has exhibited a penchant for putting his name on public property and sites of cultural significance, most notably the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
According to MS NOW, citing sources familiar with the effort, Trump’s team has been drafting a list of other institutions that could represent fertile ground for more presidential vanity projects.
Among them is the location where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865: Ford’s Theater, in downtown D.C.
One official from inside the administration confirmed it had been discussed, but it was unclear how seriously it was being considered. The Interior Department owns the theater, and the National Park Service maintains it.
Trump’s track record in his renaming projects has been poor so far.
His grand plans to turn the Kennedy Center into the “Trump Kennedy Center” have hit legal roadblocks, leading to a court order in May to remove his name from the side of the building.
Meanwhile, his renaming of Palm Beach Airport in Florida to President Donald J. Trump International Airport sparked confusion as the global air traffic control system raced to keep up with the alteration.
The South Florida airport had carried that name since 1948, but it became the first ever to adopt the title of a sitting president earlier this year.
The New York Times reported, however, that the rebrand sparked pandemonium when it changed its code from PBI to DJT.
The change took time, and passengers received notifications saying their itineraries had changed.
One official who spoke to MS NOW said the options being explored for new projects are easier to get over the line legally than the Kennedy Center.
Another former administration official told the news channel that officials will pitch ideas laced with flattery to the president to curry favor.
The official said that from the president’s perspective, he thinks: “‘Why would I say no? Everybody’s trying to please me.’”
“They know flattery gets them everything,” the source added, noting that all they hope to hear back is: “How can I help you?”
Trump offered insight earlier this month into why he is so hell-bent on getting his name on as many things as possible.
Surprisingly, it came after Sen. Jon Ossoff suggested that Trump was keen to do it because no one else would want to put the president’s name on anything after he leaves office.
“That’s true,” Trump later admitted to New York Magazine. “Nobody will do it once I’m gone. When I leave here, nobody will.”
Still, the White House previously told the Daily Beast that Trump wasn’t focused on naming things after himself.
“President Trump is focused on saving our country – not garnering recognition,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in August, regarding the Palm Beach Airport name change.
“However, given his vast accomplishments, including signing the largest tax cut in history, securing the border, restoring peace through strength, and more, it is natural that local officials and other great patriots want to recognize the President’s incredible work on behalf of the American people.”
The Beast has contacted the White House for further comment regarding Ford’s Theater.
