Republicans push to rename Washington DC airport after Donald Trump

Republicans want to rename one of Washington DC’s major airports after Donald Trump, with a bill put forward arguing that there was “no better symbol of freedom, prosperity and strength” than the former president.

The proposal suggests that the Washington Dulles International Airport, located in Virginia, should be renamed the “Donald J. Trump International Airport”.

“In my lifetime, our nation has never been greater than under the leadership of president Donald J. Trump,” said Representative Guy Reschenthaler, who sponsored the bill.

He added: “As millions of domestic and international travellers fly through the airport, there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity and strength than hearing ‘Welcome to Trump International Airport’ as they land on American soil.”

Democrats were quick to shut down the idea.

Representative Guy Reschenthaler, right, sponsored the bill. Photo / AP

Representative Gerry Connolly, who represents the part of Virginia where Dulles airport is located, told Politico: “Donald Trump is facing 91 felony charges. If Republicans want to name something after him, I’d suggest they find a federal prison.”

‘Unserious and delusional’

Don Beyer, another representative from the local area, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Dulles will never be renamed after Trump. Again, that’s not the point, the point is to suck up to their [Republican’s] Dear Leader.”

Representative Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat who serves Virginia, also commented on X: “This is just another in a long list of instances where extreme House Republicans have shown how unserious & delusional they are.”

The bill, which is co-sponsored by six other Republican lawmakers, has little chance of becoming law given the Democratic control of the Senate and the White House.

But its reception in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives could shed light on how divided the party is over support for Trump.

Dulles airport is currently named after former secretary of state John Foster Dulles, who served under president Dwight Eisenhower, and is located 42km west of Washington DC in Virginia.

The airport is one of three in the DC area alongside Reagan Washington National Airport, also in Virginia, and the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland.