Feb 8, 2026
We’re going to go a bit less serious, but also a way that highlights our concerns about the way Trump makes decisions and why we have a hard time trusting him. Among the many projects and initiatives that Trump has stopped (and depending on your interpretation of the separation of powers, potentially illegally stopped), are the infrastructure improvements to Dulles Airport and tunnel improvements to New York. At the time it was allegedly stopped to ensure no “illegal DEI” practices were in effect. As nebulous as that requirement is, nothing has moved on these congressionally funded projects. No requirements have been levied, or anything else legal or otherwise have been elucidated over the past several months.
It is now being reported that Trump offered to unfreeze the funds if Dulles and/or Penn Station were renamed for him. NBCNews, ABC News, Axios, Reuters all claim to have sources that have made this claim (they are likely the same source, but all feel confident enough in the source to run with the story). The White House and Chuck Schumer have not denied the story or commented on it.
This plays into the deep distrust many people have with Trump and how he makes decisions. Whether it’s renaming the Kennedy Center, the Institute of Peace or a prescription drug site, or putting a North Korea style portrait of himself on the Department of Agriculture, there is an almost pathological need for self-aggrandizement. Tie that in with the 10-15 minutes of almost many cabinet meetings dedicated to praise for the president, it reinforces the perception that decision making is based on the President’s feelings about himself.
Now the world doesn’t end if buildings are named after politicians we like or don’t like, however, when policy decision are tied to whether it’s done or not, it bleeds into bad governance. First for things like infrastructure funding, that isn’t decided by the President. They are part of funding deals made in Congress and not subject to Presidential veto. Second, even if the President does have discretion here, either the project is worthwhile or it’s not – naming rights obviously should not be a part of it.
This is all part of a pattern where the president blends his personal and family dealings with the business of government. Whether it’s naming family members to important positions, or his family business doing things with foreign governments while simultaneously making policy decisions with those same governments. These are all standard forbidden practices for government officials that this administration ignores.
I know given the “unnamed sources” nature of this reporting, Trump defenders will dismiss it and even if they do believe it, this is not going to crack top-100 most important issues. This does highlight what Trump governments see as a bad way of doing government. Trump could of course alleviate this concern by having decisions involving foreign governments that his family does business with done by people not connected to him politically with published analysis on how those decisions were made (it would be better if he just stopped all family business with foreign governments, but that’s not going to happen), and by insisting that his name be removed from all public buildings and websites. If he does a great job as president (like by metrics not feelings), then in 15-20 years he’ll have things named after him… and if he doesn’t he won’t (actually that’s not true, by this point in time he’s got a decent enough bedrock of support some of them will name some things after him regardless). But we all know that won’t happen.
There are things governments and politicians can do to increase public trust and things they can do that decreases public trust, and this one of those things that decreases public trust.
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