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Trump Organization Seeks Trademarks for Any Airport Using President’s Name — Says It Won’t Take Royalties For Palm Beach

Trump Organization Seeks Trademarks for Any Airport Using President’s Name — Says It Won’t Take Royalties For Palm Beach
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive on Air Force One, at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Trump Organization’s DTTM Operations has applied for federal trademarks to cover the use of President Trump’s name on airports and a range of airport-related goods and services. The company said the filings were prompted by a Florida bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport and insisted it would not accept royalties for that renaming. Trademark attorney Josh Gerben called the filings unprecedented for a sitting president’s private company. The requests cover three name variants, including "President Donald J. Trump International Airport."

The Trump Organization has filed federal trademark applications seeking exclusive rights to use President Donald J. Trump’s name on airports and a wide range of airport-related goods and services, while saying it does not intend to collect royalties if Palm Beach International Airport is renamed after the president.

The applications, submitted by a family company unit called DTTM Operations to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, request protection for three name variants: President Donald J. Trump International Airport, Donald J. Trump International Airport and the initials DJT. The filings also list items commonly found at airports — from shuttle buses and umbrellas to travel bags and flight suits — that the company wants covered by the trademark requests.

Company officials said the filings were prompted by a Florida bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport and framed the move as defensive: aimed at preventing misuse of the Trump name by “bad actors,” not at generating profit.

“To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming,” the Trump Organization said in a statement referring to Palm Beach International Airport near the Mar-a-Lago club.

The organization did not immediately say whether it would charge royalties for use of the Trump name at other airports in the future or for merchandise categories listed in the filings.

Trump Organization Seeks Trademarks for Any Airport Using President’s Name — Says It Won’t Take Royalties For Palm Beach
The personal plane of President Donald Trump is seen on the tarmac after Trump arrived on Air Force One, at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who publicized the filings, described them as unprecedented. In a blog post he noted that while landmarks have been named for public officials, a sitting president’s private company has never before sought federal trademark protection in advance of an official naming.

“These are trademark filings that are completely unprecedented,” Gerben wrote.

The filings come as lawmakers and stakeholders debate airport renaming proposals in Florida and connected naming discussions tied to regional projects — including a controversial tunnel linking New York and New Jersey and separate proposals that would attach Trump’s name to that project and to Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

The move is the latest in an aggressive branding push by the Trump family in recent years. The company has licensed the Trump name for towers, golf resorts and residential developments around the world and has sold products ranging from electric guitars to Bibles and sneakers — many of which are managed under the DTTM unit.

Facing criticism that his family is profiting from his presidency, Trump has previously said his businesses are held in a trust managed by his sons and that he has no day-to-day role in the company.

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