Aug. 29, 2026, 3:44 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump is busy leaving his mark on the Nation’s Capital and past.
In fact, earlier than he turned president, Trump had loads of issues along with his identify slapped on them. There was Trump Tower and Trump inns, golf programs and, for some time, even Trump steaks.
Throughout his first time period as president, Trump had his identify placed on COVID-19 stimulus checks. He additionally revealed his penchant for remaking maps by drawing his personal path for Hurricane Dorian.
Upon returning to the Oval Workplace, Trump has not wasted any time marking his territory. On his first day again in workplace, Trump ordered that Denali, the nation’s tallest mountain, be as soon as once more known as Mount McKinley. President Barack Obama had modified the identify in 2015 on the request of state officers. Trump additionally put in movement the renaming of Military bases that Congress in 2020 ordered renamed as a result of they honored Accomplice navy leaders.
Huge banners bearing Trump’s face started to be put in on the facades of federal buildings in Washington, D.C.
For some, Trump’s tendency to make use of his identify and picture – and impose his imprint – goes past the norm. “Within the first century of our historical past it was actually thought-about unseemly and even type of unconstitutional,” David Barrett, a political science professor at Villanova College, advised USA TODAY. “Even into the fashionable period, it was thought-about not unlawful, however actually unseemly and unpresidential.”
Even earlier than taking workplace in January 2025, Trump launched a $TRUMP cryptocurrency meme coin; he would soak up $635 million from the sale of it and different $TRUMP meme cash in 2025.
Additionally early on in his presidency, Trump dropped the thought of the Trump Gold Card, a $5 million shortcut to a visa and path to citizenship. As is usually the case, the president mentioned it was not his concept to place his identify on it. “Any individual mentioned, ‘Can we name it the Trump gold card?’ I mentioned: ‘If it helps, use the identify Trump. I will give it to you free of charge’,” Trump mentioned throughout a Feb. 25, 2025, White Home occasion.
Trump has continued to have a look at maps for energy performs. He has mentioned Canada ought to turn out to be the 51st state and the U.S. ought to take management of Greenland.
Trump has added the Pacific islands Micronesia and the Marshall Islands to his want record of nations that ought to be introduced beneath U.S. possession, management or affect, and has advised that the U.S. might sooner or later declare management of the Strait of Hormuz.
Simply as he renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in February 2025, Trump on Aug. 27 signed an government order to change the identify of Lake Ontario to Lake America – a transfer made amid his escalating commerce warfare with Canada.
These actions can be utilized as a distraction, however will possible be “unsuccessful,” wrote Jeffrey Blehar in Nationwide Assessment, a conservative opinion journal. “Trump will struggle to rename the Nice Lakes, or demolish the Kennedy Middle – something to maintain the media from speaking in regards to the economic system or the warfare in Iran,” Blehar wrote.
Here is a have a look at a few of Trump’s different actions.
Trump and the Kennedy Middle
Talking of the Kennedy Middle, the addition of Trump’s identify to the performing arts heart in December 2025 is probably probably the most attention-grabbing Trump signage technique just lately. The transfer renamed it as “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Middle for the Performing Arts.” This got here days after Trump hosted the Kennedy Middle Honors, the primary president to take action.
Months earlier, in February 2025, Trump had terminated the middle’s board, named new board members and put in himself as its new chairman.
Nonetheless, in Could 2026, a federal choose ordered Trump’s identify to be faraway from the constructing. Since then, a authorized wrestle has ensued, with the middle’s board arguing that Trump’s assist elevating funds for the middle’s restoration earns the president signage on the constructing saying, “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Middle for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” The board additionally voted to call the grounds beneath the venue “President Donald J. Trump Plaza.”
The choose has requested for added written arguments from either side. In the meantime, a tarp and scaffolding proceed to dam the view of Kennedy’s identify, after Trump’s identify was eliminated June 13.
Trump brings again Division of Struggle
On Sept. 5, 2025, Trump ordered the renaming of the Division of Protection to the “Division of Struggle,” a reputation the division deserted in 1947, to match what White Home officers name a brand new “warrior ethos” it’s instilling within the armed forces.
“We gained the First World Struggle. We gained the Second World Struggle. We gained every part earlier than that and in between,” Trump mentioned earlier than signing the order. “After which we determined to go woke and we modified the identify to the Division of Protection. So we’re going Division of Struggle.”
The transfer empowered Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth to make use of titles resembling “Division of Struggle,” “Secretary of Struggle” and “Deputy Secretary of Struggle” in official authorities correspondence and communications with out formally altering the division’s identify, which might require motion from Congress.
Trump’s identify added to U.S. Institute of Peace
In December 2025, The U.S. Institute of Peace, a 41-year-old company that works with the nation’s government department to resolve violent battle overseas, was renamed the Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace. The usState Division renamed it “to mirror the best dealmaker in our nation’s historical past,” the division mentioned in a social media publish on X.
Florida provides Trump’s identify to Palm Seaside airport and avenue
In January 2026, state lawmakers authorised renaming a highway linking Palm Seaside Worldwide Airport and Trump’s non-public membership at Mar-a-Lago to “President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.”
Two months later, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed laws renaming Palm Seaside Worldwide Airport to “President Donald J. Trump Worldwide Airport.” The identify change went into impact in July.
TrumpRX, a prescription for financial savings
In February 2026, Trump touted the launch of TrumpRx, a authorities web site meant to assist Individuals purchase medicines at decrease costs. The location launched with greater than 40 medicines from drug makers together with Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Pfizer.
“It is a very massive deal,” Trump mentioned throughout a Feb. 5 White Home occasion. “Individuals are going to avoid wasting some huge cash and be wholesome.”
Trump banners displayed at federal buildings in Washington, D.C.
Quickly after Trump took workplace for the second time, huge banners along with his picture started showing on federal buildings within the nation’s capital, together with the Departments of Agriculture and Labor.
In February 2026, a banner with Trump’s face and the saying, “Make America Secure Once more,” was hung exterior the Justice Division headquarters.
Official paperwork including Trump’s picture
A commemorative passport with Trump’s image will get a wider attain. Initially solely out there on the Washington Passport Company, the State Division introduced on July 30 that it will make 250,000 extra particular passports out there resulting from “overwhelming demand.”
Trump’s face additionally appeared on the Nationwide Park Service’s 2026 annual move for U.S. residents. Historically, the America the Lovely move carries a photograph taken on public lands that gained an annual photograph contest.
“Blotting out the majesty of America’s nationwide parks with a closeup of his personal face is Trump’s crassest, most ego-driven motion but,” mentioned Kierán Suckling, government director of the Middle for Organic Range, in an announcement. The group sued to cease the change.
“It’s disgusting of Trump to politicize America’s most sacred refuge by pasting his face over the nationwide parks in the identical manner he slaps his company identify on buildings, eating places, and golf programs,” Suckling mentioned.
Trump’s mark being made on forex
The Treasury Division introduced in March 2026 that Trump’s signature would seem on all paper forex. That is a departure from custom – financial payments often carry the signatures of the U.S. treasurer and the secretary of the treasury. The primary $100 payments carrying Trump’s signature have been produced July 4, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned in a publish on X. It is the primary time in U.S. historical past {that a} sitting president’s signature appeared on American banknotes.
The U.S. Mint is issuing a Semiquincentennial $1 Coin with Trump’s likeness, which matches on sale Tuesday, Sept. 1.
A fee hand-picked by Trump in March authorised a pure gold commemorative coin along with his likeness along with the $1 coin. However it has but to be authorised.There are additionally strikes to have Trump’s face on forex. Republican-backed laws directing the Treasury Division to provide a $250 invoice with Trump’s portrait has been proposed, however hasn’t gotten out of the U.S. Home.
‘I didn’t identify’ Trump Accounts
Trump Accounts, a federal financial savings program pledging $1,000 financial savings accounts for each youngster born between 2025 and 2028, started operation on July 4. It launched with 1.4 million new child infants getting $1,000 in seed cash from the federal government, with households of 6 million American youngsters claiming accounts total.
Whereas asserting this system in February 2026, throughout his State of the Union tackle, Trump mentioned: “No one believes me, however I didn’t identify it.”
Trump floats new battleships, plus some previous designs
In December 2025, Trump introduced the development of two new “Trump-class” battleships that will be the primary in a “Golden Fleet” of Navy ships. Along with hypersonic weapons, lasers, cruise missiles and nuclear weapons, synthetic intelligence would play a “massive issue” within the ships’ capabilities, he mentioned.
The U.S. Navy will lead building of the ships, together with Trump, who known as himself “a really aesthetic particular person.”
Extra just lately, Trump criticized the Navy’s plane carriers, saying they need to use steam-powered catapults – know-how from the Fifties – to launch jets, as a substitute of the electromagnetic programs the fleet is at present utilizing. He additionally voiced issues that the carriers ought to transfer the ship’s multistory tower ahead towards the middle of the ship to look extra like World Struggle II ships. The Navy is evaluating a redesign of recent ships based mostly on Trump’s issues, The Washington Publish reported.
Contributing: Ken Alltucker, Zac Anderson, Fernando Cervantes, Francesca Chambers, Kinsey Crowley, Joey Garrison, Trevor Hughes, Bart Jansen, Phaedra Trethan, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Mary Walrath-Holdridge and N’dea Yancey-Bragg.
Mike Snider is a nationwide trending information reporter for USA TODAY. You possibly can observe him on Threads, Bluesky, X and e mail him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
