Trump Family Eyes New Income Stream From Airports Using President’s Name, Files for Trademark Rights
The Trump Organization has filed federal trademark applications seeking exclusive rights to use President Donald Trump’s name for airports and a wide range of related services and merchandise, according to newly disclosed filings.
The applications, submitted by a Trump family business entity called DTTM Operations, request trademark protection for names including “President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” “Donald J. Trump International Airport,” and “DJT.” The filings also extend to airport-related items such as passenger shuttle buses, travel bags, umbrellas and flight suits.
The move comes as Florida lawmakers debate a proposal to rename Palm Beach International Airport after Trump. The airport is located near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. The Trump Organization said the trademark filings were prompted by the state legislation and are intended to protect the name from misuse.
“To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming,” the company said in a statement, adding that the Trump name is “the most infringed trademark in the world.”
The company did not directly address whether it would seek royalties or licensing fees if other airports or related merchandise were to use the Trump name in the future.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who first identified the filings, described them as unprecedented. While former presidents have had airports and public landmarks named in their honor, Gerben noted that it is highly unusual for a sitting president’s private business to proactively seek trademark rights tied to such naming efforts.
Historically, presidents have waited years after leaving office — or in some cases until after their death — before airports were named after them. Ronald Reagan’s airport was renamed nine years after his presidency, while Bill Clinton waited more than a decade.
If approved and implemented, a Trump-named airport would join a growing list of public venues and projects that have been renamed in his honor in recent years, including roads and federal facilities. Critics argue that such branding efforts blur the line between public service and private business interests, while Trump has maintained that his company is operated independently by his sons and that he has no direct day-to-day involvement.
The filings add another chapter to ongoing scrutiny of the Trump family’s global branding strategy, which has expanded in recent years to include real estate projects and consumer products bearing the Trump name.
