As a New York businessman, Donald Trump put his name on real estate, golf courses, vodka, steaks, bottled water and his own university.
As president in his second term, he is fusing his personal brand with national institutions and government programs, a rare assertion of power by a sitting American leader.
Since returning to office in January, the Republican president has plastered his name on prominent Washington buildings, a Navy warship project, a visa program for wealthy foreigners, a government prescription drug website and federal savings accounts for children.
Some historians see it as a superficial effort to build a legacy that will not stand the test of time. The name change of Washington’s main entertainment center to the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts generated controversy and several performances have been canceled in protest.
“I don’t think the naming or renaming guarantees that Trump’s name will be on those things until time immemorial,” said Austin Sarat, a professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College, who questioned whether the name would remain if Democrats regain power.
White House spokeswoman Elizabeth Huston said the administration is not focused on “smart branding, but on meeting President Trump’s goal of Making America Great Again.”
“Drug pricing agreements, overdue updates to national monuments, lasting peace agreements, and children’s wealth creation accounts are historic initiatives that would not have been possible without President Trump’s bold leadership,” he said in an emailed statement.
Trump-Kennedy Center
The first year of Trump’s second term in the White House has seen a political blitz that has expanded presidential power, reshaped parts of the federal bureaucracy and the economy, and reconfigured America’s relations with the world.
Yet one of the most striking features of the past 11 months has been the energy and attention Trump has devoted to putting his name on government buildings and programs.
Trump’s populist measures have alarmed Democrats and civil society watchdogs, who worry that they give the impression that he, and not the state, is the provider of essential services. His defenders claim that what he is doing is nothing more than an extension of his decades as a skilled salesman.
The biggest protest came in December, when his name was added to the Kennedy Center, named in 1964 in honor of the late Democratic president by an act of Congress after his assassination. The center was renamed by its board of directors, most of whom were appointed by Trump.
Just across the Potomac River is the United States Institute of Peace, a government-funded think tank created by Congress to prevent conflict.
On December 3, the State Department renamed it the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, based on the president’s claim that he has ended eight wars, a widely disputed claim given the ongoing conflicts in several of those hotspots. Trump’s name has been placed on the exterior of the building.
Washington has many buildings and monuments named after presidents, but those have traditionally occurred long after they have left office and are typically national tributes to them, often established by Congress.
Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University, said that while past presidents were not shy about reminding voters that they were responsible for popular policies, such as stimulus money or infrastructure programs, “that’s very different than what you’re seeing today.”
“It’s much easier to put your name on a building or a ship than it is to pass legislation that lasts,” Zelizer said. In terms of a lasting legacy, however, “it’s very slim.”
“Trump Class” warships
Trump has announced a plan for a new generation of Navy warships, which he called “Trump-class” battleships, and said he will personally participate in the designs.
However, the announcement does not guarantee that the ships will be built. The Navy has canceled shipbuilding programs in the past and the Trump-class ships are still in the design phase, a process that typically takes many years.
The Trump tax and spending cuts law passed in July created a new type of tax-advantaged savings accounts for children, now called “Trump Accounts” on the Internal Revenue Service website.
Since the accounts were created by an act of Congress, the name change will likely need congressional approval.
In October, the Treasury shared preliminary designs for $1 coins featuring images of Trump to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ declaration of independence from the United Kingdom. It has not been confirmed whether the Trump coin will be issued next year.
The Trump administration also launched the “Trump Gold Card,” a new immigrant visa program that allows wealthy foreign investors an expedited path to residency in the United States, and TrumpRx.gov, a website offering discounted prices for prescription drugs that will likely launch in 2026.
Even plans for the Air Force’s new fighter jet, the F-47 – although not named after Trump – refer in part to the 47th president, the Air Force said.
Trump called the F-47 a “beautiful number.”
