House Republicans are at it again, aiming to leave a lasting Trump-shaped mark on the nation’s capital. Their latest move? A bid to rename Washington Dulles International Airport after President Donald Trump. Less than a week into Trump’s second term, freshman Rep. Addison McDowell of North Carolina rolled out a bill to rebrand the iconic Virginia airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport. Because, apparently, nothing says “golden age of America” like renaming a major transportation hub.
McDowell wasted no time framing the proposal as a fitting tribute to Trump’s so-called transformative leadership. Claiming that the former president has ushered in a “golden age,” McDowell argued it’s only right for both D.C. area airports to honor “two of the best presidents” to grace the Oval Office. The bill, a concise two-pager, lays out its intentions with minimal legalese. In short, all maps, documents, and official references to Dulles Airport would need to swap out its current name for Trump’s, as if the rebranding alone might bring about greatness.
Joining McDowell on this crusade are Reps. Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania, Brandon Gill of Texas, Riley Moore of West Virginia, and Brian Jack of Georgia. Reschenthaler, no stranger to this idea, spearheaded a similar attempt in the previous Congress. That effort, unsurprisingly, fizzled out in committee, but this time around, with Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress and Trump freshly sworn in, proponents believe the legislation might actually gain some traction. Reschenthaler called Trump “the greatest president of my lifetime” in his statement, declaring the bill a way to immortalize Trump’s legacy in the heart of the nation’s capital. Subtle, right?
Riley Moore chimed in, calling Trump the “most consequential politician” of his time and expressing pride in co-sponsoring the bill. According to Moore, Trump’s efforts to elevate the “forgotten men and women” of America have struck a deep chord across the country. The legislation, Moore hopes, will soon hit the House floor, where it’s expected to spark a fiery debate, especially if Democrats have anything to say about it.
Of course, Dulles Airport wasn’t named on a whim. Its current namesake, John Foster Dulles, served as Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower and played a key role in Cold War diplomacy. The airport has carried his name since its opening in 1962. The last Republican attempt to rename it after Trump drew sharp backlash from Democrats, who decried the proposal as a gratuitous display of partisanship. With this latest push, it seems the stage is set for yet another round of political theater, proving once again that in Washington, even airport names aren’t safe from partisan battles.
