From a ballroom to the dollar bill, Trump is making his mark on history
Long before he became president, Donald Trump had a habit of putting his name on things — hotels, casinos, golf courses, bottled water.
Now, 14 months into Mr. Trump’s second term, his penchant for self-promotion seems to know no bounds, as his name is plastered on entities large and small, from the Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the enormous White House ballroom under construction to a 24-karat gold commemorative coin in his likeness to be issued by the U.S. Mint.
Mr. Trump’s signature will soon adorn American paper currency, a first for a sitting president. Parents of newborns can sign them up for Trump accounts. And in Florida, Palm Beach International Airport will be renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport, effective July 1, under a law signed this week by Florida’s Republican governor. Usually, the renaming of an airport for a president takes place after he leaves office.
Why we wrote this
President Donald Trump is erecting new structures at a breakneck pace, while putting his name on everything he can. Critics say it echoes a strongman’s style. Others see it simply as a penchant for building a legacy — and a long history of promoting the Trump brand.
Another project, the 250-foot-tall Independence Arch, nicknamed “Trump’s Arch” — which will be built across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial — has sparked lawsuits, delaying the start of work. The arch’s apparent purpose is to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
But for Mr. Trump, the nomination-building frenzy is about building a legacy — and a seemingly insatiable desire for self-validation, the likes of which have never been seen in an American president, historians and longtime Trump watchers say.
All presidents, almost by definition, have an inflated ego. But traditionally, American presidents have eschewed the trappings of royalty and emphasized their role as public servants. Mr. Trump, during his first term, suggested that his face be added to Mount Rushmore.
“Trump seems to have personality needs that can never be satisfied,” says George Edwards III, a presidential scholar emeritus at Texas A&M University and the author of a book about Mr. Trump’s first term. “He must consider himself in glory.”
For some, all these grandiose plans echo a strongman type regime. But it could also be a sign that Mr. Trump is preparing for the end of his presidency, despite jokes about a third term. Notably, term 1 included far less of the “Trump developer” persona than term 2 saw.
For Trump defenders, all the new construction is a refreshing upgrade, with the most expensive projects funded by private donations, not American taxpayers. To critics, it’s all part of a Trump family feud and a diversion at a time of global turmoil. Additionally, Mr. Trump plans to spend $377 million renovating the executive residence in fiscal 2026 and wants $174 million more next year, according to a Politico analysis of the fiscal 2027 budget request.
In short, to say that Mr. Trump and his allies are flouting the norms of the American presidency is an understatement. Nowhere is that more evident than at the White House, where the 90,000-square-foot, $400 million ballroom was approved Thursday by the National Capital Planning Commission. The federal agency is dominated by Trump appointees, including its chairman, White House Secretary of State Will Scharf.
The ballroom project must still be approved by Congress, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, ordering construction to stop. But Congress appears reluctant to vote in favor of ballroom, which performs poorly. And Mr. Trump doesn’t always wait for the green light. He demolished the east wing last October on his own initiative, sparking outrage.
“When completed, it will be the largest and most beautiful ballroom of its type in the world, and a fabulous addition to our beautiful and legendary White House!” » Mr. Trump wrote Thursday evening on Truth Social.
The president also drew attention to the “massive” and secure military bunker being built beneath the ballroom, speaking publicly on an issue that is usually kept secret.
At the Trump-Kennedy Center, which will close on July 4 for a two-year renovation, some observers fear Mr. Trump will raze the entire structure, including a recent, modernist addition. The 1960s complex did not receive rave reviews when it was built, but it has gained popularity with the public and its association with Kennedy adds emotional weight. Mr. Trump took over the Kennedy Center a year ago, leading to mass artist cancellations. The center’s name change is already the subject of litigation.
Gwenda Blair, a Trump biographer who interviewed him several times before becoming president, sees a man who has spent his entire career building a personal brand, whether in real estate or as a reality TV star on “The Apprentice.”
Over the years, Ms. Blair said, Mr. Trump has learned “that you have to continue to grow the brand.” At the time, just putting Trump’s name on a Manhattan skyscraper was a big deal. Today, “putting your name on a building in New York is only a small difference.”
The current outrage, she believes, will eventually subside.
“Her experience in real estate taught her that once a building is there, people forget what was there before,” says Blair. And when something gets a new name, “people forget the old name.”
This week also saw the release of plans for the future Donald J. Trump Presidential Library and Museum – a glittering skyscraper on the Miami waterfront, as seen in a video posted by his son Eric Trump. It will feature a golden escalator, reminiscent of the one in his first campaign ad, a golden statue of Mr. Trump and a retired Air Force One in the lobby.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump suggested to reporters in the Oval Office that the building could also be a lucrative business. This “could be [an] office, but most likely it will be a hotel with a nice building underneath,” he said.
He also took a look at former President Barack Obama’s soon-to-open Presidential Center in Chicago, a Brutalist-style structure that will include a museum, public library branch, event space and sports facilities. “It’s a very unattractive building,” Mr. Trump said.
Not that Mr. Trump’s taste commands universal praise. There’s a good chance the next president, especially if he’s a Democrat, will change some of Trump’s touches — starting perhaps with the gold filigree that now adorns the Oval Office. Renaming things is also easy.
But some of the changes brought about by the Trump era — like the new buildings, and especially the ballroom, assuming it’s ultimately built — will be as permanent as any building can be. And just as the White House’s Truman Balcony was controversial when it was built in the 1940s, today it is an accepted and even beloved part of the structure.
