‘I will forever be proud to see the initials ‘DJT’ on my boarding pass’: Eric Trump on his father’s newly renamed airport

A major Florida airport and a bridge in Tennessee were both renamed after President Donald Trump on Thursday, marking one of the most visible branding shifts tied to the administration’s ongoing push to attach the president’s name to public infrastructure. The Palm Beach International Airport is now officially the President Donald J. Trump International Airport, as NBC News detailed. The switch follows a law Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed in March 2026 that put the state in charge of naming major commercial airports.

The transition is expected to unfold gradually. Airport officials estimate the total cost of the rebrand at approximately $5.5 million, covering new signage, wayfinding, technology systems and printed materials, according to the Palm Beach International Airport’s own FAQ page. No local property tax dollars are funding the project. Instead, $2.75 million comes from a state appropriation, with the rest drawn from the airport’s operating budget and capital improvement programs.

Technical changes are also happening on separate timelines. The FAA locational identifier used by pilots and air traffic control has already switched to DJT, but the three letter IATA code that appears on boarding passes and luggage tags will remain PBI until August 18, 2026. Airport officials have stressed that despite the new name, ownership, governance and daily operations of the facility are unchanged.

Tennessee marked the same day with its own tribute

While Florida worked through its airport transition, a separate ceremony unfolded in Dandridge, Tennessee, where Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attended the unveiling of a renamed bridge in Jefferson County. The span, previously known as the Francis Burnett Swann Memorial Bridge, is now the President Donald J. Trump Bridge. Bessent told the crowd that no one was more deserving of the honor, and the Tennessee Legislature had already passed a law last year authorizing the renaming of several other roads and bridges across the state.

The dual renamings extend a broader pattern that has emerged across the current administration, one that has recently included a commemorative passport design featuring the president. Eric Trump, one of the president’s sons, wrote on X that the private jet Trump Force One was the first aircraft to land at the newly renamed Palm Beach airport, touching down at 5:01 AM shortly after the change became official. He said no one had done more for Florida and the country than his father, adding that he would always be proud to see the initials “DJT” on his boarding pass.

President Trump also responded to the news himself. Writing on Truth Social Thursday evening, he called it a big day for Palm Beach and said the renaming happened by a spectacular vote. He predicted the facility would soon become one of the most impressive airports in the world.

The airport rebrand arrives just weeks after a separate, and notably different, outcome in Washington, where a federal judge previously ordered the president’s name removed from the Kennedy Center following a monthslong legal fight. That ruling stands in contrast to the Palm Beach and Tennessee changes, both of which moved forward through state legislation rather than a board vote.

For now, airport officials say operations will continue without interruption as the facility works through its rebrand. The IATA code switch to DJT is scheduled to take effect on August 18, 2026.