- Seven House Republicans propose renaming a DC-area airport after former President Donald Trump.
- This move is part of broader efforts by Republicans to solidify Trump's legacy.
- A Virginia Democrat quickly slammed the bill.
Seven House Republicans have proposed renaming an international airport just outside the nation's capital after former President Donald Trump.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, a Pennsylvania Republican, introduced a bill late last week to rename Washington Dulles International Airport, which was named after former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Reschenthaler, a member of House GOP leadership, told Fox News that he could think of no better way to welcome international visitors to US soil.
"As millions of domestic and international travelers fly through the airport, there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity, and strength than hearing 'Welcome to Trump International Airport' as they land on American soil," Reschenthaler told Fox News.
Republicans keep finding ways to buck up Trump's legacy.
Republicans in Congress and at the state level have repeatedly attempted efforts to buttress Trump's legacy. In Congress, Republicans have tried to push the former president to receive a Nobel Peace Prize and have also proposed formally expunging his impeachments.
Americans have named everything from aircraft carriers to cities after former commander-in-chiefs. George Washington, of course, has an entire state named in his honor. The other major airport in the DC area, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, was renamed after Reagan in 1998.
Trump's actions are also partially tied to Dulles. As Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, pointed out protesters took to the airport and 80 others around the country in January 2017 to speak out against Trump's first attempt to impose a travel ban that would have temporarily barred refugees and immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries.
"One of Trump's first acts as president was a racist Muslim ban that blocked permanent American residents from their own country," Beyer wrote on X. "I went to Dulles to try to help innocent people caught up in the chaos. I remember grandparents detained for hours as their terrified families waited."
Dulles opened in 1962. According to The Washington Post, only four days after Dulles' death a member of Congress proposed naming the airport in honor of the staunch anti-Communist Republican. Dulles has a deeply controversial legacy due to his role in the lead-up to the Vietnam War. His brother, Allen Dulles, holds a similar legacy surrounding his time leading US intelligence.
This isn't the first time Congress has considered renaming the airport after a president. According to the Post, then-Sen. Robert Dole in 1990 proposed naming the airport after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who helped select the airport's land during his time in office. Dulles' family was not pleased. The name has remained unchanged.
Six other Republicans are co-sponsoring Reschenthaler's bill. They are Reps. Michael Waltz of Florida, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Charles "Chuck" Fleischmann of Tennessee, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Barry Moore of Alabama, and Troy Nehls of Texas.