U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly offered to release frozen federal infrastructure funding in exchange for support to rename major transport hubs after him, according to American media reports.
CNN and NBC News reported that Trump made the proposal to the top Senate Democrat, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, suggesting that Washington Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station be renamed in his honour.
The reports, citing unnamed sources familiar with the discussions, said Trump allegedly offered to unblock federal funds earmarked for a major New York infrastructure project in return for Schumer’s support.
According to the reports, Schumer rejected the proposal, which CNN said was made last month.
The funding involved is part of a 16 billion-dollar federal allocation being sought by New York and New Jersey for the construction of a new rail tunnel linking the two states. Both states are reportedly pursuing legal action to secure the stalled funds.
Neither the White House nor Senator Schumer’s office has publicly commented on the reports.
Trump, a former real estate developer, is known for branding properties with his name and has made repeated efforts to imprint his legacy on public institutions and national landmarks.
In December, a board installed by Trump at the Kennedy Center reportedly voted to rename the arts complex the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
He has also promoted plans for an “Independence Arch,” modelled after Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, and approved the construction of a new White House ballroom, a project that reportedly involves demolishing the historic East Wing.
U.S. media noted that Trump’s reported interest in renaming major transport infrastructure marks a departure from long-standing tradition, under which public buildings and facilities are typically named after presidents only after they leave office or posthumously, in order to avoid politicisation.
The U.S. Treasury has also confirmed reports that preliminary drafts have been prepared for a commemorative one-dollar coin bearing Trump’s image, despite existing laws prohibiting the placement of the likeness of a sitting or living president on U.S. currency.
Reacting to the reports, New York Representative Jerry Nadler described the alleged proposal to rename Dulles Airport and Penn Station as “an extortion racket.”
