#vanity
11 entries with this tag
Trump Unveiled a $22.5 Billion Overhaul of Dulles Airport — and Around the Same Time Tried to Trade $16 Billion in Frozen Hudson-Tunnel Funding for Naming Rights, Offering to Unfreeze It Only if Dulles and New York's Penn Station Were Both Renamed After Him, While a GOP Bill Moves to Make Dulles the "Donald J. Trump International Airport" and the Cost per Passenger Jumps Nearly Ninefold
On August 6, 2026, Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a $22.5 billion, decade-long overhaul of Washington Dulles International Airport — ripping out the widely disliked "people mover" mobile lounges in favor of a U-shaped passenger train, a central walking tunnel, new concourses and gates, and a 32,000-space parking garage, while preserving Eero Saarinen's landmark 1962 terminal. Parts of that are a genuine improvement, and the airlines, not federal taxpayers, would fund it through Airports Authority bonds. But two things wrap the project in the same self-dealing that defines this presidency. First: separately, Trump reportedly offered to unfreeze $16 billion in federal Gateway Hudson River tunnel funding — money he froze in October 2025, stalling one of the nation's most critical infrastructure projects and roughly 1,000 jobs — only if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would support renaming Dulles Airport AND New York's Penn Station after Trump. Schumer rejected it, saying he has no authority to rename them; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called it "ridiculous," adding "these naming rights aren't tradable in any negotiations, nor is the dignity of New Yorkers." Second: a bill by Rep. Addison McDowell (R-NC), with GOP cosponsors, would rename Dulles — currently named for Eisenhower's Secretary of State John Foster Dulles — the "Donald J. Trump International Airport." And the overhaul's cost lands on travelers: Dulles' cost per passenger, about $10 today, is projected to reach $90.64 by 2035, a figure airlines typically pass through in fares. It is the Palm Beach airport playbook at national scale: a real project used as a stage for putting the president's name on the country's infrastructure — and, this time, holding a $16 billion tunnel hostage to get it.
Florida Renamed Palm Beach International Airport After Trump While He Is Still in Office — the First Sitting President Ever to Get One — Changing PBI to "DJT" at a $5.5 Million Taxpayer Cost, Imposed by the Legislature Over Community Objections, With Trump Keeping Control of His "Name, Likeness and Image" at the Airport
On July 9, 2026, Palm Beach International Airport — which had carried that name for over half a century — officially became "President Donald J. Trump International Airport." The FAA identifier code changed from PBI to DJT. It makes Trump the first sitting president in U.S. history to have an airport named after him; the dozen other presidential airports (JFK, Reagan National, George Bush Intercontinental) were all named after their namesakes left office. The renaming was not a grassroots decision by the local community — it was imposed from above by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature, which passed HB 919 along party lines (House 81-30, Senate 25-11), signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March, giving the state authority to name "major commercial service airports." The airport sits about four miles from Mar-a-Lago. The change cost an estimated $5.5 million, with $2.75 million allocated in the state budget. Travelers interviewed at the airport were blunt: "I think it's disgusting, ridiculous, pompous and a lot of other bad things," said Florida resident Pat Brown. "I resent that the name is on every institution that we have, this included," said Phyllis Malmuth. Rep. Lois Frankel called it "a clear overreach," noting airports are "traditionally designated once they leave office and through decisions made by local communities — not imposed from above." Eric Trump crowed that his father's plane was the first to land at 5:01 a.m. and that he would "forever be proud to see the initials DJT on my boarding pass." The Trump Organization says the family will collect "no royalty licensing fee or financial consideration whatsoever" — but Trump retains control over any use of his "name, likeness, image and biographical information" at the airport, letting his organization dictate how he is presented on signage and photos. On the same day, a Tennessee bridge was also renamed after him.
The Secret Service Told Trump Not to Fly His $400M Qatari Air Force One Out of a War Zone — It Was "Rushed" Into Service, Lacks the Command-and-Control "Flying Situation Room," Missile Defenses, and Mid-Air Refueling, So He Left Turkey on the Old Plane and Ordered Iran Strikes From It
One week after Trump took his triumphant maiden flight on the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One, the Secret Service advised him not to fly it out of a war zone. Departing the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 8, 2026 — with the Iran ceasefire collapsing and Trump calling himself Iran's "No. 1 target" — the president left on the original Kennedy-era Air Force One and sent the Qatari jet ahead, empty, to a U.S. base in England. Four U.S. officials told CNN the switch was driven by security concerns tied to the escalating Iran conflict; the New York Times reported the Secret Service urged the swap. The reason: the $400 million gifted Boeing 747-8, hurried into service in roughly 18 months instead of the usual years, lacks the original plane's command-and-control systems — the "flying situation room" that lets a president receive classified briefings, communicate securely, and order military strikes — as well as missile-defense systems, mid-air refueling, and hardening against electromagnetic-pulse attack. It mattered immediately: it was aboard the old plane, mid-flight, that Trump authorized fresh strikes on Iran. "This plane was built for aesthetics, not mission," a former national security official said. The military and Secret Service viewed the Qatari jet as having been "rushed." The Air Force insisted the jet is "safe, secure" but conceded that "several highly complex engineering modifications required for the final aircraft were intentionally excluded from the Bridge aircraft." Trump offered a cascade of conflicting explanations — the troops wanted to "tour the Aircraft," "for old time's sake," "there wasn't a security concern" — before telling reporters who'd been ordered to lower their window shades on takeoff that it was "because you're probably on a dangerous flight." His communications director said they deploy "every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection." The vanity jet that was diverted nuclear-missile money to build, accepted over the Emoluments Clause, and paraded as a triumph could not be trusted to carry the commander in chief during the one crisis it was theoretically there for.
Trump Used America's 250th Birthday to Campaign for His Face on Mount Rushmore — He Posted a Gold Video of Himself Carved into the Monument, the White House Said He'd Be "No Better Addition," He Distributed Cookies on Air Force One Depicting Himself as the Fifth President on the Mountain, and He Flew the Qatari Jet Over the Sacred Lakota Site While Hailstorms Battered the Crowd Below
On the eve of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Trump flew to Mount Rushmore on the Qatari-gifted Air Force One, buzzed the monument twice for the cameras, delivered a 28-minute speech warning of a "communist menace," and distributed cookies aboard the jet depicting his face carved into Mount Rushmore as the fifth president. Conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted photos of the cookies — which showed five presidential faces instead of four — calling them "the cookies Trump gave out last night on Air Force One." Earlier that day, Trump had posted a video on Truth Social showing a gold-plated 3D rendering of Mount Rushmore with his face mounted next to Lincoln's, with a voiceover: "I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come." White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said publicly: "There would be no better addition to the iconic Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump." Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced H.R. 792 in January 2025 directing the Interior Secretary to carve Trump's likeness into the monument. Roger Stone pushed a "One More for Rushmore" petition. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said there is "certainly" room. None of this is possible: the National Park Service says Mount Rushmore is a completed work of art with no viable locations for additional carvings. The original sculptor wrote in 1936 that adding a fifth head was impossible due to stone limitations. An engineer who oversaw rock monitoring at the site: "It comes down to the geology, the engineering. It just can't be done." The mountain is sacred to the Lakota Sioux — known to them as the Six Grandfathers — on land the Supreme Court ruled in 1980 was illegally seized. The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council passed a resolution opposing the event. The 4,800 lottery-selected attendees endured two hailstorms and shelter-in-place alerts before Trump spoke. The fireworks — first at the site in six years, revived by Trump over environmental concerns about drought, wildfires, and endangered bat species — cost $700,000. In 2020, then-Governor Kristi Noem gifted Trump a four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore with his face. He was "totally serious" when he told her it was his dream to be up there.
Trump's Name Is Coming Off the Kennedy Center — Staff Ordered to Remove All References by June 12
The Kennedy Center's general counsel ordered staff to remove all references to "Trump-Kennedy Center" from signage, programs, email signatures, letterhead, websites, and brochures by June 12 — complying with the federal judge's ruling that only Congress can rename the center. Workers were spotted on site removing labels. The Trump branding had been applied unevenly: parking garage maps said "Trump Kennedy Center," programs were emblazoned with his name, but concession cups and grand foyer banners still said "Kennedy Center." The gift shop had put all Kennedy Center-branded merchandise on sale — 30% off ahead of the closure that was also blocked. Spokesperson: "We are complying with the court's order while evaluating all legal options."
Judge Orders Trump's Name Stripped From Kennedy Center Within Two Weeks — "Only Congress Can Rename It"
A federal judge ruled that Trump illegally put his name on the Kennedy Center and ordered all signage removed within two weeks. The 94-page ruling found that Congress named the center after JFK and only Congress can change it — the board cannot unilaterally rename a national memorial. The judge also blocked the planned two-year closure, finding trustees learned about it "by social media post" with "no meaningful opportunity" to consider it. Trump: the judge "should be ashamed of himself."
Trump's "Pool Guy" Reflecting Pool Contract Hits $13.1M — 7x What He Promised — and Now Faces a Lawsuit
Trump promised the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool would cost $1.8M to fix. The no-bid contract to his "pool guy" (a culvert waterproofer with no pool experience) started at $6.9M. The Interior Dept. then added $6.2M more — total now $13.1M, over seven times Trump's promise. A preservation nonprofit is suing to halt the blue paint job for violating historic landmark protections.
Trump Puts His Face on U.S. Passports — First Living President to Do So
The State Department announced "commemorative" passports for America's 250th birthday featuring Trump's image and gold signature — making him the first living president ever featured inside the document. 25,000–30,000 copies starting before July 4. No prior president — not Washington, Lincoln, FDR, or Reagan — put their own face on a passport while in office.
Trump Files Plans for 250-Foot "Triumphal Arch" — A Monument to a War He Lost
Trump announced his administration officially filed plans for "the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World" — a 250-foot gold-accented monument between Arlington Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. Historically, triumphal arches honor military victories. Trump has none.
$400M White House Ballroom Halted by Judge: "The President Is Not the Owner"
A federal judge halted Trump's $400M ballroom: "The President is the steward of the White House for future generations. He is not, however, the owner!" The 90,000-sq-ft project — 3x the White House — has fake windows hiding toilets, stairs to nowhere, and 98% public opposition.
$220 Million No-Bid DHS Ad Campaign Starring Kristi Noem
$220M in no-bid taxpayer-funded "self-deportation" ads featured Noem on horseback at Mount Rushmore. One contractor was created 11 days before receiving $143M. The key subcontractor's CEO was married to the DHS official who funded the contracts.