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Palm Beach County commissioners have approved a trademark and licensing deal with President Donald Trump’s family business that paves the way for Palm Beach International Airport to be renamed in his honor.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation in March renaming Palm Beach International Airport (which sits about four miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club) as the “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.” The new name becomes official on July 1 once the Federal Aviation Administration wraps up the paperwork on its end. The wrinkle in the Palm Beach airport renaming is the trademark side: DTTM Operations LLC, a company run by Donald Trump Jr. that manages the president’s intellectual property, filed a trademark application for “Donald J. Trump International Airport” in February (right around the time Florida lawmakers were pushing the renaming bill through).
What’s going on now: Palm Beach County commissioners approved the trademark and licensing deal Tuesday in a 4-3 vote (three Republicans plus one Democrat made up the majority). Under the deal, Trump and his family won’t be taking a cut from Trump-branded merchandise sold inside the airport itself, but the agreement is non-exclusive, which leaves the door wide open for Trump’s companies to sell “Donald J. Trump International Airport” branded merchandise off-site for profit.
The trademark application covers a wide range of products, including clothing, luggage, jewelry, and airport-related items. The deal also gives Trump’s company veto power over which vendors are allowed to sell branded merchandise at the airport, with the county or any retail businesses required to buy products “exclusively and directly from such entities designated by Licensor” (the licensor being DTTM Operations).
Trump and his companies also get final say over any biographical material about him that shows up at the airport or in its marketing. The county can put Trump’s likeness, name, and bio on promotional material for the airport, but the Trump companies have to green-light it all before anything goes out.






