Seven House Republicans have proposed renaming an international airport just outside the nation’s capital in honor of former President Donald Trump.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, a Republican from Pennsylvania, introduced a bill late last week to rename Washington Dulles International Airport, which is named after former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Reschenthaler, a member of House GOP leadership, told Fox News he couldn’t imagine a better way to welcome international visitors to American soil.
“As millions of domestic and international travelers pass 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,” Reschenthaler told Fox News.
Republicans continue to find ways to cement Trump’s legacy.
Republicans in Congress and at the state level have repeatedly tried to bolster Trump’s legacy. In Congress, Republicans tried to push the former president to receive a Nobel Peace Prize and also proposed formally overturning his indictments.
Americans have named everything from aircraft carriers to cities after past commanders in chief. George Washington, of course, named an entire state in his honor. The Washington, D.C. area’s other major airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, was renamed in Reagan’s honor in 1998.
Trump’s actions are also partly linked to Dulles. As Virginia Democratic Rep. Don Beyer noted, protesters came to the airport and 80 other people across the country in January 2017 to denounce Trump’s first attempt to impose a travel ban that would have temporarily excluded refugees and immigrants from seven majority countries. Muslim countries.
“One of Trump’s first acts as president was a racist Muslim ban that prevented permanent U.S. residents from entering their own country,” Beyer wrote on X. “I went to Dulles to try to help innocent people caught in the chaos. I remember grandparents being held for hours while their terrified families waited.”
Dulles opened in 1962. According to the Washington Post, just four days after Dulles’ death, a member of Congress proposed naming the airport after the staunch anti-communist Republican. Dulles has a deeply controversial legacy due to his role in the lead-up to the Vietnam War. His brother, Allen Dulles, holds a similar legacy of his experience leading U.S. intelligence.
This is not the first time Congress has considered renaming the airport in honor of a president. According to the Post, then-Sen. Robert Dole proposed in 1990 that the airport be named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who helped choose land for the airport during his term. Dulles’ family was not happy. The name remained unchanged.
Six other Republicans are co-sponsoring Reschenthaler’s bill. They are Reps. Michael Waltz of Florida, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Charles “Chuck” Fleischmann of Tennessee, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Barry Moore of Alabama and Troy Nehls of Texas.
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