Palm Beach was told to approve Trump’s airport naming deal or risk losing state funding. Now, the fine print reveals how his family profits from it

The Palm Beach County Commission has voted to approve a deal that gives President Donald Trump control of licensing and merchandising at the newly renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport. The agreement was signed by Trump last weekend and endorsed by the commission on Tuesday. Analysts predict Trump will likely make millions from this legal deal between the county and DTTM Operations LLC, his Delaware-based company.

Under the agreement, Trump gets to choose which vendors will manufacture and supply branded merchandise at the airport, allowing him to earn money from those sales. The deal also allows the Trump Organization to sell branded merchandise outside the airport, including through their own online store. Trump can also license the trademark to any third party he chooses.

Trump also has final approval over how his name, image, and likeness are used and shown at the airport. This means any photographs, written descriptions, or biographical references to him must meet his personal preferences. According to The Guardian, trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who studied the agreement, found several elements to be “unusual.”

The Trump family stands to gain far more from this airport deal than a simple honorary naming

“Normally when you have an honorary naming of something like this, there may be some agreement with the family, but usually it’s just, ‘we’re bestowing this honor upon you, we’re going to call the airport this,’ and that’s kind of the end of the story, right?” Gerben said. 

He then added, “But in this case, the [Trump] family filed trademarks. Trump’s board is telling the county, ‘No, you’re a non-exclusive licensee’, which means that they are retaining the right to use the marks themselves in whatever capacity they may want.”

Gerben said the Trump Organization’s options were nearly limitless. “The questions the public should ask here are why Trump’s board needs that level of control, and are they going to be directing funds to somebody?” he said. “Maybe they don’t make money directly, but they certainly have the ability to direct some business, to curry favor with a company by sending business their way.” 

This airport deal is just one of several moves drawing attention to how Trump uses power plays in high-stakes situations. The process began formally in February when Trump’s lawyers filed trademark applications for the new airport name. At the same time, Florida’s Republican lawmakers moved forward with legislation to require the name change to be completed by July 1. 

Opponents criticized what they called a “misguided” act of loyalty to Trump by Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, and said the name change was being pushed through too quickly without consulting residents or their elected representatives.

Eric Trump, the president’s second son, posted on X that he was “extremely proud” to share the airport’s new logo. “There is no person more deserving of this incredible honor than @realDonaldTrump! Congratulations Dad!” he wrote. “Looking forward to seeing flights landing at ‘DJT’ very very soon.” Meanwhile, Trump’s political future remains a topic of discussion, with ongoing speculation about the Vance and Rubio ticket for 2028.

One thing that will remain outside Trump’s control is the three-letter airport code assigned by the International Air Transport Association. Even though the airport will no longer carry the name Palm Beach International Airport, it will continue to be known as PBI unless legislation passes to change it and the Federal Aviation Administration updates its systems and charts, according to aviation news website Avsn.