U.S. media reveal that Donald Trump secretly negotiated with the Senate minority leader to rename a major international airport and a key train station after "Trump" in exchange for unlocking funding for the Gateway Project infrastructure, which involves building a tunnel under the Hudson River in New York City valued at over $16 billion, or more than 500 billion baht, but the proposal was promptly rejected.
According to sources close to the matter cited by U.S. media, last month President Donald Trump made a proposal to Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader from the Democratic Party, stating he was willing to release the budget to support a large infrastructure project in New York.
Trump proposed that Schumer agree to rename New York's Penn Station and Washington D.C.'s Dulles International Airport after "Trump" in exchange for approving a $16 billion budget (approximately 506 billion baht). However, Schumer immediately rejected the offer, explaining that he lacked the legal authority to accept such an unconventional request.
Currently, Trump continues to withhold the budget originally intended for the Gateway Project, which aims to build a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New York and New Jersey. This has led both states to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration earlier this week, accusing the budget freeze of being illegal and politically motivated.
The commission overseeing the project warned that if the government does not release the funds soon, construction may have to halt and about 1,000 employees could be laid off in the near future.
Media analysis suggests this incident reflects Trump's ongoing efforts to embed his name in American history by branding various initiatives. Since returning to office, he has launched several projects bearing the "Trump" name, such as the Trump Gold Card, a fast track to citizenship; TrumpRx, a website selling discounted medications; and the Trump-class Battleship project under the "peace through strength" policy. Trump also plans to rename the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, both iconic institutions, to include his name.
Although some conservative lawmakers have attempted to introduce legislation to rename Dulles Airport to "Donald J. Trump International Airport," the bill has so far garnered little attention, even within the Republican-majority House, and the chances of it passing currently appear very slim.
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