From battleships to buildings: Trump’s name is everywhere

As president in his second term, he is merging his personal brand with national institutions and government programs, an unusual assertion of power by a sitting U.S. president.

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Since returning to office in January, the Republican president has affixed his name to prominent Washington buildings, a planned class of Navy warships, a visa program for wealthy foreigners, a government-run prescription drug website, and federal savings accounts for children.

“I don’t think the naming or renaming guarantees that Trump’s name will be affixed to those things until time immemorial,” said Austin Sarat, a professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College, who questioned whether Trump’s name would remain if Democrats regain power.

Elizabeth Huston, a White House spokeswoman, said the administration was not focused on “smart branding, but delivering on President Trump’s goal of Making America Great Again.”

“Drug pricing agreements, overdue upgrades of national landmarks, lasting peace deals, and wealth-creation accounts for children are historic initiatives that would not have been possible without President Trump’s bold leadership,” she said in an emailed statement.

TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER

But one of the most striking features of the past 11 months has been the energy and attention Trump has given to placing his name on buildings and government programs.

Trump’s populist moves have alarmed Democrats and civil society watchdogs who worry they create the impression that Trump, rather than the state, is the provider of essential services. Defenders say what Trump is doing is simply an extension of his decades as a savvy marketer.

The biggest outcry came this December when his name was added to the Kennedy Center, named for the late Democratic president in 1964 by an act of Congress to honor him after his assassination.

The center was renamed by its board of trustees, a majority of whom were appointed by Trump.

Just up the Potomac River sits the U.S. Institute of Peace, a government-funded think tank established by Congress and focused on conflict avoidance.

Washington has many buildings and monuments named after presidents, but that has traditionally occurred well after they have left office and are normally national tributes to them, often established by Congress.

Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University, said while previous presidents were not shy in reminding voters they were responsible for popular policies, including stimulus money or infrastructure programs, “that’s very different to what you’re seeing today.”

“It’s a lot easier to get your name on a building or a ship than to pass legislation that’s enduring,” Zelizer said. In terms of a lasting legacy, however, “it’s very thin.”

‘TRUMP-CLASS’ WARSHIPS

If Trump’s name appears on any of the ships, or “Trump-class” becomes an official Navy designation for the new battleships, a later name change would be a first, Zelizer said.

But Trump’s announcement does not guarantee 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 of a process that typically takes many years.

As the accounts were created by an act of Congress, changing their name will likely need congressional approval.

Even plans for the U.S. Air Force’s new fighter jet, the F-47 – while not bearing Trump’s name – partly refer to the 47th president, the Air Force said.

Trump called F-47 a “beautiful number.”

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