Palm Beach International Airport will soon bear the name of President Donald Trump.
The move comes following Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing legislation last month to force the change.
As part of the name change, Palm Beach County leaders agreed to a trademark deal with the Trump Organization which, according to the Miami Herald, took weeks to negotiate.
By law, the Palm Beach International Airport will need to be renamed the President Donald J. Trump International Airport by July 1, 2026—subject to FAA approval. The estimated taxpayer cost to rebrand the airport is around $5.5 million.
While the agreement dictates that the move cannot enrich the president or his family, specific verbiage in the document leaves a potential opening for Trump’s businesses to benefit from the deal, the Herald reports, because its scope is limited to Palm Beach County only.
“While Trump’s companies agreed not to receive royalties or revenue for the sale of Trump-branded items at the airport, the non-exclusivity clause leaves an opening within the agreement for Trump’s companies to sell airport-branded items off-site for profit, according to trademark attorney Josh Gerben,” the Herald writes.
Read More: Spirit Airlines discontinues service after failed Trump bailout
Trump’s company also gets final say over brand merchandise. If Palm Beach County or any retailers want to sell products with the airport’s name, they’ll have to purchase the products from a list of Trump-approved retailers.
The trademark lawyer who spoke with the Herald described that agreement as “unusual.”
The County can, however, use the president’s image, likeness and biography to promote the airport, but Trump’s company can nix any verbiage which it doesn’t approve.
Gary Leff of View From the Wing, an online air travel and industry website, said it’s reasonable for a president to be interested in securing his name’s legacy, and it’s not unusual for an airport to be named for former presidents. Palm Beach is Trump’s primary residence, and he flies in and out of the airport probably more than any other person during his frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago.
“It’s just a bit unseemly to do it while he’s still in office,” Leff writes. “Of course, other president-named airports do not have the name trademark owned by private companies, or the right to approve biographical material,” which Leff said could be interpreted as limiting political speech.
Latest in Donald Trump’s unprecedented branding efforts
President Trump has taken never-before-seen steps to add his name and likeness to government agencies and institutions during his second stint in office.
Last month, the White House announced that the president’s official portrait would be added to a special, limited-time passport to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Earlier this year, the National Park Service released its 2026 “America the Beautiful” National Park pass, which includes an image of Trump alongside George Washington. It marked the first time in history that a sitting president appeared on the pass, igniting controversy about the design decision.
Shortly after being sworn in for his second term as president, Trump announced that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington would be renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center upon the facility’s reopening. In December 2025, the State Department added Trump’s name to the United States Institute of Peace.
According to the Herald, the Palm Beach County commissioners will officially vote on the trademark deal to clear the path for the renaming effort to begin. That vote is expected to take place Tuesday, May 5, and will be the first time the county commissioners will go on record regarding the plan.
The airport’s code, PBI, will remain unchanged.
