Imagine Americans getting the day off of work for Donald Trump’s birthday. Receiving a $100 bill with Trump’s portrait on it. Touching down at Donald J. Trump International Airport near the nation’s capital. And taking in a show at the Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.
All would be possible under a flurry of bills Republican lawmakers have sponsored this year.
Trump is six months into his second term, but some Republicans are ready to elevate him into the pantheon of American greats, proposing an ever-growing list of bills paying tribute well before his second term ends. One lawmaker even proposes carving his face into Mount Rushmore.
It’s a legislative exercise mixing flattery and politics, providing another stark reminder of the Republican Party’s transformation under Trump as lawmakers from red-leaning states and congressional districts look for ways to win the president’s good graces — and stay close to his supporters.
Doug Heye, a Republican strategist who served as communications director of the Republican National Committee, said the bills have an important audience despite their seeming frivolity.
“This is more about one person,” Heye said. “It’s not, ‘Hey, voters, look what I’m trying to do for Donald.’ It’s, ‘Hey, Donald, look what I’m trying to do for you.’”
No time to waste
House Republicans moved quickly to honour Trump after his second term began. The bill to rename Dulles International Airport in Virginia after Trump was introduced 72 hours after his swearing-in.
“Best president in my lifetime,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Addison McDowell of North Carolina. “And I can’t think of a better way to honour somebody than to cement their place in history by naming an international airport in our nation’s capital after him.”
Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas waited a few more weeks before sponsoring his bill to put Trump on the $100 bill, which now features Benjamin Franklin. His legislation stated no $100 bill printed after Dec. 31, 2028, could be printed without Trump’s portrait on the front, even though federal law bans living figures from being placed on U.S. currency. That law, enacted just after the Civil War, was intended to avoid the appearance of a monarchy.
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Another proposal from Rep. Greg Steube of Florida would rename Washington’s subway system the Trump Train. There’s also a bill from Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York combining Trump’s birthday with Flag Day to designate June 14 a federal holiday.
Perhaps the most daring idea comes from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who wants the Interior Department secretary to arrange for Trump’s likeness to be carved into Mount Rushmore alongside Washington, Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt. She has two models of it in her office.
Luna said through two assassination attempts and a “sham impeachment,” Trump has “shown not just resiliency in character but also to have been able to do what no other president has been able to accomplish.”
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina admits he wasn’t enamoured with Trump at first. Now, Wilson carries a pamphlet he gives to colleagues asking them to sponsor a bill that would direct the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to design and print a $250 bill bearing Trump’s image. The honour would coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States declaring its independence.
“I believe the president has served in a such a manner that he deserves it,” Wilson said.
It’s not just a few random Republicans taking part. In the GOP’s tax cut and immigration law, leadership changed the name of a new savings account for children from “MAGA accounts” to “Trump accounts.”
“Because Trump is a transformational leader and he advocated for them,” Rep. Jason Smith, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said of the name change.
The Nobel Peace Prize
Several lawmakers are also talking Trump up as someone who should win the Nobel Peace Prize.
As a candidate, Trump promised he would end the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day in office before saying later as president he was joking. Solving that conflict and Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has eluded Trump.
But Republicans — and at least one foreign leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are still proposing Trump receive the prize. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio has called on the Senate to nominate Trump, while Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee asked her social media followers to share her post if they agree he deserves it.
Tenney recently wrote on X she has nominated Trump twice and will continue to do so until he’s awarded the prize.
Honouring Melania Trump, too
An appropriations bill making its way through the House includes an amendment from Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho that would name the Opera House at the Kennedy Center for First Lady Melania Trump.
Simpson said the White House didn’t know about the amendment until it was introduced. He said the effort is different from renaming Dulles Airport in Trump’s honor because the theater isn’t currently named after anyone.
“She’s just been a supporter of the arts, always has been, and we’re trying to keep the arts alive in this bill,” Simpson said. “So we thought it was the appropriate thing to do.”
Smart politics
For many Republicans, lauding Trump in legislation is simply smart politics. Trump’s endorsement helped catapult many lawmakers into elected office, and his support could be helpful as individual members try to get their priorities into law.
Plus, Trump wields his endorsement aggressively to replace members he finds disloyal and reward allies. He’s already endorsed Gill and Luna for reelection in 2026, calling them “MAGA Warriors.”
But the power of a Trump endorsement extends beyond the primary, especially in the midterm elections.
“In the general election, they just send a signal to Trump voters to turn out, to trust somebody and vote for them,” said Steve Stivers, former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Democrats have taken note of the flurry of Trump tributes, seeing it as a chance to portray a pliant Republican majority as being focused on placating Trump rather than helping Americans.
“House Republicans continue to embarrass themselves,” said Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. “These people are sycophants.”
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