You're probably here because of the Aug 2026 rerun. This is the 15th time since 2025 this story has run. The previous rerun was Jul 2026.
Rerun #15
Aug 2026 Lake Ontario → "Lake America"
Earlier in the week, CBS reported, Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. was giving "serious consideration" to renaming Lake Ontario. He also posted a map with the "Lake Ontario" label crossed out. On Aug 27, 2026, he signed Executive Order 14422, "Honoring the American History of the Great Lakes and Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America." Before signing it in the Oval Office, he said the change was "effective immediately." The order gives its policy basis as his Jan 20, 2025 Executive Order 14172, "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness." It directs the Interior Secretary, working with the Board on Geographic Names and "consistent with 43 U.S.C. 364 through 364f," to take all appropriate actions within 30 days to rename the lake. It also calls for updating the federal place-names database (GNIS) and says all federal references should use the new name. CBS reported that the president "can't force other countries or international bodies to call it 'Lake America,' but he can require the federal government to do so." It also reported that Trump later posted to Truth Social a letter from the director of the U.S. Geological Survey announcing that the change had been made.
- whitehouse.gov
statement
I am directing that the Lake officially be renamed as Lake America.
- cbsnews.com
article
We're going to be changing the name of Lake Ontario, effective immediately, to Lake America.
Sources:
whitehouse.gov reliable · NBC News reliable · NPR reliable
Rerun #14
Jul 2026 Palm Beach International Airport renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport (Florida state action)
This wave records one place renamed after Trump, which the story's notes list as part of its pattern. The change was made through state law, and the airport is run by the county. A South Florida airport "officially changed its name on Thursday," July 9, 2026, to the President Donald J. Trump International Airport, according to AP. AP reports that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "signed legislation earlier this year that made the name change possible." According to Palm Beach County, as reported by WPTV, the name change was required under state legislation signed into law on March 30. WPTV also reports that the change does not affect the airport's ownership or governance, which stays with the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners. Federal involvement was administrative. An FAA spokesperson told WPTV that the agency doesn't approve airport name changes but "must complete some administrative tasks to include updating navigational charts and databases." The airport said "separate federal legislation regarding the code" had been introduced. The three-letter code changed from PBI to DJT on Aug. 18, according to AP and the Palm Beach County Department of Airports. The department said it worked with federal agencies, airlines and other partners on the switch. A May WPTV report, citing an FAA ruling, gave July 1 for the name change and July 9 for the code change. Later AP and WPTV reports give July 9 for the name and Aug. 18 for the code. AP reports that "Changing the airport's name is expected to cost as much as $5.5 million for new signs, branding and other updates." On reception, Eric Trump posted on X that there is "no one more deserving of this incredible honor." AP quoted a departing traveler who called it "just the name of an airport." WPTV reports that a Palm Beach County pilot filed a lawsuit in April, alleging in part that changing the airport's established code could be a safety issue.
Sources:
Public Broadcasting Service reliable · wptv.com needs a second source · wptv.com needs a second source
Rerun #13
May 2026 – Aug 2026 Court strikes Trump's name from the Kennedy Center, then the board votes to restore it
In December 2025 the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees, not a presidential order, voted to rename the center. Workers added the words "The Donald J. Trump and" above the existing lettering, so the building read "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." On May 29, 2026, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in a lawsuit brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty that the board "overstepped its statutory bounds by unilaterally renaming the Kennedy Center after President Trump," writing: "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it." He ordered the name removed from the façade and official materials within two weeks. Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi said the center was "confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board's will to recognize President Trump's historic contributions." Trump wrote on Truth Social that the judge "should be ashamed of himself" and said he would back away from the renovation and return control of the center to Congress. After Cooper turned down the board's last-minute request to keep the signage pending appeal, workers took the letters down behind scaffolding early on June 13. On Aug. 13 the board voted 20-3 to rename the building "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" and the grounds "President Donald J. Trump Plaza," according to attendees who spoke to media outlets. Beatty called it "a transparent effort to circumvent the Court's ruling." That vote set up a test of Cooper's order.
- Public Broadcasting Service
article
Cooper also concluded that the board "overstepped its statutory bounds" by unilaterally adding Trump's name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, he said.
- Time
article
Judge Cooper rejected a last-minute appeal from the board to keep the name, finding it unlikely to succeed.
- Time
article
voted 20-3 to change the name of the building to "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump" while naming the center's grounds "President Donald J. Trump Plaza," according to attendees of Thursday's meeting who spoke to multiple media outlets.
- youtube.com
video
Sources:
courthousenews.com needs a second source · Public Broadcasting Service reliable · Time reliable · Time reliable · Time reliable · Axios reliable
Rerun #12
Feb 2026 Penn Station and Dulles naming request tied to Gateway tunnel funding (not enacted)
Punchbowl News reported on Feb 5, 2026 that Trump had offered to release funding for the Gateway project if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would support renaming Washington Dulles International Airport and New York's Penn Station after Trump. Axios and ABC News placed the offer in January 2026. ABC News, citing two sources, reported that Trump told Schumer he would unfreeze $16 billion for the project in exchange for the renaming, and that Schumer rejected the offer. Axios's source said the offer was made in conversations with the administration about the Gateway project after an Oval Office meeting between the two men, not during that meeting. Gothamist, citing a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations, reported that Trump's team had made the offer. A second Gothamist source with knowledge of Schumer's thinking said, "There was no trade." On Feb 6, aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that Schumer had suggested renaming Penn Station "Trump Station," and said Dulles was "a separate kind of a deal." Schumer called Trump's account an "Absolute lie." On Feb 10 Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was "something the President floated in his conversation with Chuck Schumer." No renaming had taken place as of the Feb 10 reporting. The archive classifies this as a proposal made during negotiations, not an order or an agency action.
- punchbowl.news
article
offered to release the funding for the massive Gateway infrastructure project if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer agrees to support renaming both Washington-Dulles International Airport and New York's Penn Station after Trump
- Time
article
Chuck Schumer suggested that to me about changing the name of Penn Station to Trump Station,
- Time
article
About renaming, why not? It is something the President floated in his conversation with Chuck Schumer,
- youtube.com
video
Sources:
Axios reliable · abc7.com needs a second source · gothamist.com needs a second source · Time reliable
Rerun #11
Dec 2025 Navy announces the "Trump-class" battleship
On Dec. 22, 2025, at Mar-a-Lago, Trump and Navy Secretary John Phelan announced plans to build a new class of battleships. The Navy's press release says "the future USS Defiant (BBG 1) will be the first Trump class battleship." That puts the sitting president's name on a class of Navy warships. Trump said the Navy would start with two ships, with a goal of 20 to 25. The Boston Globe reported that a logo for the class shows Trump right after the July 2024 assassination attempt. The Globe also reported that the name would go against the Navy's "long-standing — if unevenly applied — traditions of naming aircraft carriers after presidents and battleships after states." On the date of the announcement this was a plan only. The Navy said cost estimates were still being worked out, and the Wall Street Journal (as cited by Breaking Defense) reported that the first ship would be bought in 2030.
- navy.mil
statement
The future USS Defiant (BBG 1) will be the first Trump class battleship
- ABC News
article
I have approved a plan for the Navy to begin the construction of two brand new, very large, the largest we've ever built, battleships.
- breakingdefense.com
article
Photos on display on each side of Trump suggested at least one of the “Trump class” ships would be named “USS Defiant.”
- bostonglobe.com
article
A logo unveiled for the new ship class depicts Trump in the moments after a July 2024 assassination attempt, fist held high.
- c-span.org
video
Watch
Sources:
navy.mil needs a second source · ABC News reliable · breakingdefense.com needs a second source · bostonglobe.com needs a second source
Rerun #10
Dec 2025 Kennedy Center board votes for "Trump Kennedy Center"
The Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees voted to add Trump's name to the federally established memorial. On Dec. 18, 2025, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced on X that the board had voted to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center. The center's vice president of public relations confirmed that the board voted for the name The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. The board formally made the change. After returning to office, Trump removed Democratic-appointed trustees and installed allies and administration officials. In February the board selected him as its chairman. The board also includes local and federal officials and members of Congress from both parties. Leavitt and the center gave Trump's work in saving the institution, physically and financially, as the reason. On Dec. 19, workers added "The Donald J. Trump and" to the facade above the existing signage. Federal statute (20 U.S.C. 76i) designates the building the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. CBS News reported that any change to the name "would appear to require approval from lawmakers." Georgetown Law professor David Super told ABC News that Trump "cannot rename the building itself or the center itself." Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio trustee, disputed that the vote was unanimous and said she was muted on the call. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic ex officio members said Trump was acting "without legal authority." Kennedy's niece Maria Shriver also criticized the move.
- cbsnews.com
article
I have just been informed that the highly respected Board of the Kennedy Center, some of the most successful people from all parts of the world, have just voted unanimously to rename the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center
- ABC News
article
On Friday, workers added "The Donald J. Trump and" to the facade of the building just above the current signage
- c-span.org
video
Watch
honored by it
Sources:
cbsnews.com reliable · ABC News reliable
Rerun #9
Dec 2025 U.S. Institute of Peace renamed "Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace"
On Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, the State Department said it had renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace the "Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace," to "reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation's history." The new name appeared on the institute's headquarters building near the State Department (NPR/AP). The change was made by the State Department, not by statute. Congress created the institute in a law President Reagan signed in 1985, and neither NPR nor E&E News reports Congress changing the name. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the institute was "beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year." George Foote, a lawyer for the institute's former leadership and staff, said the renaming "adds insult to injury." USIP says it is an independent creation of Congress, outside the president's executive authority. The administration says it is part of the executive branch. At the time, control of the building was still being decided in federal appeals court (NPR/AP). On Dec. 4, Trump signed a Congo–Rwanda peace agreement at the renamed building and thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for "putting a certain name on that building" (E&E News). This fits the thread as an agency-made renaming after Trump himself.
- x.com
social post
- NPR
article
The Trump administration has renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace after President Donald Trump and has planted the president's name on the organization's headquarters despite an ongoing fight over the institute's control.
- eenews.net
article
Thank you for putting a certain name on that building. I came, I said, ‘Boy, that is beautiful’
Sources:
x.com needs a second source · NPR reliable · eenews.net needs a second source
Rerun #8
Sep 2025 – ongoing "Department of War" as a secondary name (EO 14347)
On Sept 5, 2025, Trump signed an executive order letting the Defense Department use "Department of War" and "Secretary of War" as secondary titles "in official correspondence, public communications, ceremonial contexts, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch." It told the Secretary to send, within 60 days, recommended "legislative and executive actions" to make the rename permanent. Congress set the department's name by law (the National Military Establishment, created in 1947, was renamed the Department of Defense in 1949). So the order changed only usage inside the executive branch, not the legal name. The White House called it restoring a "historic name." Stars and Stripes reported that many legal analysts say a permanent rename needs Congress.
- whitehouse.gov
statement
The Secretary of Defense is authorized the use of this additional secondary title — the Secretary of War — and may be recognized by that title in official correspondence, public communications, ceremonial contexts, and non-statutory documents within the executive branch.
- whitehouse.gov
statement
The name “Department of War” conveys a stronger message of readiness and resolve compared to “Department of Defense,” which emphasizes only defensive capabilities.
- stripes.com
article
I’m not sure they have to. We’re going with it, and we’re going with it very strongly
Sources:
whitehouse.gov reliable · stripes.com needs a second source · defenseone.com needs a second source
Rerun #7
Jul 2025 Trump threatens the Commanders' D.C. stadium deal unless the team goes back to "Redskins" (not carried out)
PolitiFact reported that in a pair of July 20 Truth Social posts, Trump urged the Washington Commanders' owners to change back the NFL team's name to the Washington Redskins. According to PolitiFact, in a subsequent post, Trump threatened to block the Commanders' potential stadium deal unless they reverted to the old name. The wording of both posts is as quoted by PolitiFact, Fox News and Washington DC Magazine. PolitiFact also cited The Washington Post as reporting that Trump couldn't unilaterally kill the stadium deal. Washington DC Magazine reported that D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson played down any potential ability by Trump to force a change. It also reported that the Council voted 11-2 on September 17, 2025 to approve the RFK stadium deal with no name condition attached and the Commanders name intact. The franchise has been owned by Josh Harris since 2023, and Harris has said the team is keeping the Commanders name. This was a renaming threat that was never carried out.
- truthsocial.com
social post
The Washington 'Whatever's' should IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team
- truthsocial.com
social post
I may put a restriction on them that if they don't change the name back to the original 'Washington Redskins,' … I won't make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington.
- Fox News
article
threatened to place a "restriction" on the Washington Commanders over its failure to change its nickname back
Sources:
PolitiFact reliable · Fox News needs a second source · washingtondcmagazine.com needs a second source
Rerun #6
Jun 2025 Seven more Army base names restored
On June 10, 2025, in a speech at Fort Bragg for the Army's 250th anniversary, Trump announced "a little breaking news." Seven Army installations renamed in 2023 would go back to their earlier names: Pickett, Hood, Gordon, Rucker, Polk, A.P. Hill and Lee. The Army announced it would carry out the change. A U.S. Army Public Affairs release that day said the Army "will take all necessary actions" to rename the seven installations. According to Stars and Stripes, an Army spokeswoman said Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll would take immediate action to make the change. Earlier in 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had announced the return of the Fort Bragg and Fort Benning names. All of these restorations use namesakes who share the surnames of the earlier Confederate honorees. A 2020 law forbids the Pentagon from naming things after Confederates. PolitiFact quoted Cornell historian David Silbey saying the administration was boxed in by that law, and he called the surname approach "a way of winking and nodding at the law."
- democrats.senate.gov
statement
for a little breaking news, we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort AP Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee
- army.mil
statement
The U.S. Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu.
- stripes.com
article
Cynthia Smith, an Army spokeswoman, said in a statement that Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll will take immediate action to implement these redesignations.
- PolitiFact
article
Rather, the Pentagon found different military awardees with the same last names as the Confederate figures and named the bases after them.
- youtube.com
video
Sources:
democrats.senate.gov needs a second source · army.mil needs a second source · stripes.com needs a second source · PolitiFact reliable
Rerun #5
Jun 2025 USNS Harvey Milk renamed USNS Oscar V. Peterson
On June 27, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a video posted on X that the Navy was renaming the oiler USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO-206) the USNS Oscar V. Peterson. A defense official told USNI News that on June 26, 2025, at Hegseth's request, Navy Secretary John C. Phelan renamed the ship. The change was made by the Navy at the defense secretary's request, not by Trump himself. USNI News reported that a Navy planning memo sought "alignment with President and SECDEF objectives," and noted that by law naming ships is the Navy Secretary's job. The ship had been named for Milk in 2016 by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.
- x.com
social post
I am pleased to announce that the United States Navy is renaming the USNS Harvey Milk to the USNS Oscar V. Peterson.
- news.usni.org
article
There was a review of all installations and assets conducted to ensure all installations and assets are reflective of the Commander in Chief's priorities, the nation's history and the warrior ethos.
- youtube.com
video
Sources:
news.usni.org needs a second source · taskandpurpose.com needs a second source · ABC News reliable · gcaptain.com needs a second source
Rerun #4
May 2025 Persian Gulf to "Arabian Gulf" floated; not enacted as of May 19, 2025
RFE/RL reported that the Associated Press reported on May 7 that Trump was planning to announce a change to either the "Arabian Gulf" or the "Gulf of Arabia" during his Middle East visit the following week. Al Jazeera said American media had reported that he planned to use the May 13–16 trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to announce that the United States would begin referring to the waterway by one of those names. On May 7 at the White House, a reporter asked whether he would make an announcement on the name. Trump said: "I'll have to make a decision… I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings… I'm going to be given a briefing on that and I'll make a decision" (Al Jazeera). Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the suggested change in a post on X, saying "such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians" (Al Jazeera). RFE/RL reported that Araghchi said such a move would carry "no validity or legal or geographical effect," and that Iranian-American groups with sharply differing politics issued separate statements opposing it. RFE/RL also reported that the State Department and White House have consistently used "Persian Gulf," in line with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which "has rejected proposals to change it to 'Arabian Gulf,'" while U.S. Central Command and the Navy "often use 'Arabian Gulf'" in regional communications. Archive note, not drawn from these sources: as with the Gulf of America order, a naming decision by the federal government would govern federal usage only. The Week, writing on May 19, said that Trump "appears to have backtracked" on the reported plans. It said official American policy on the name had not changed, with the Board on Geographic Names still recognizing "Persian Gulf" as the standard term. It added that, "as seen in the case of the Gulf of Mexico, he won't be able to compel the world to follow suit." The fetched sources show no executive order and no naming-board action; the proposal was not enacted as of May 19, 2025.
- rferl.org
article
The Associated Press reported on May 7 that Trump was planning to announce a change to either the "Arabian Gulf" or the "Gulf of Arabia."
- Al Jazeera
article
I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I don't know if feelings are going to be hurt.
- Al Jazeera
article
Such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence.
- youtube.com
video
I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings
Sources:
Al Jazeera reliable · rferl.org needs a second source · theweek.in needs a second source
Rerun #3
Feb 2025 AP access dispute over "Gulf of America"
On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. NPR notes that the order changes the federal government's usage but has no force outside the U.S. The AP's style guidance kept "Gulf of Mexico" and noted the new federal name. On Feb 11, 2025, the White House blocked an AP reporter from an Oval Office event. On Feb 14 it barred an AP reporter and photographer from Air Force One. AP journalists were also kept out of a Trump press conference at Mar-a-Lago. Trump, Leavitt, Wiles and Budowich all publicly gave the naming dispute as the reason. The AP sued on Feb 21, so the wave is about how the administration enforced the rename and how it was received, including in court. Later sources record the outcome of that suit. On April 8, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that the ban violated the First Amendment. A divided D.C. Circuit panel later stayed his order while the appeal went forward.
- NPR
article
We're going to keep them out until such time as they agree that it's the Gulf of America.
- Voice of America
article
It is alarming that the Trump administration would punish AP for its independent journalism
- Public Broadcasting Service
article
continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America
- youtube.com
video
I just say that we're going to keep them out until such time as the...
Sources:
NPR reliable · Voice of America reliable · Public Broadcasting Service reliable · NPR reliable · courthousenews.com needs a second source
Rerun #2
Feb 2025 Fort Liberty becomes Fort Bragg again, with a new namesake
On February 10, 2025, aboard a C-17 flying from Joint Base Andrews to Stuttgart, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum renaming Fort Liberty, N.C., as "Fort Roland L. Bragg." The new namesake is Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II paratrooper with the 17th Airborne Division who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart at the Battle of the Bulge. The base is no longer named for Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg. Hegseth said, "That's right: Bragg is back." According to NPR, the change keeps a promise Trump made as a candidate at an October 2024 town hall in Fayetteville, where he said, "We did win two world wars from Fort Bragg, right?" and "We're going to get it back." Hegseth made the change by Defense Department memorandum; Trump did not. An AP report carried by Military Times said choosing a different Bragg "got around a law prohibiting the military from naming a base after a Confederate leader." Congress banned Confederate names for Defense Department assets in the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act. It directed the creation of the Naming Commission, which recommended "Fort Liberty," in the FY2021 act. Trump vetoed the defense bill that created the commission, partly over the renaming provision, and Congress overrode the veto with broad bipartisan support. Sen. Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the order violated the law's spirit, if not its letter, and called for it to be rescinded. The wave fits the thread because a Trump campaign pledge to restore a base name was carried out by an agency action.
- army.mil
statement
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum renaming Fort Liberty in North Carolina to Fort Roland L. Bragg.
- NPR
article
Trump vowing at an October 2024 town hall in Fayetteville that he would change the name back to Fort Bragg.
- stripes.com
article
"Bragg is back," Hegseth said after signing the order that changes the name to Fort Roland L. Bragg
- reed.senate.gov
statement
Secretary Hegseth has not violated the letter of the law, but he has violated its spirit.
Sources:
army.mil needs a second source · NPR reliable · stripes.com needs a second source · militarytimes.com needs a second source · reed.senate.gov needs a second source
Rerun #1
Jan 2025 Gulf of America and Mount McKinley order
On Jan. 20, 2025, Trump signed Executive Order 14172, "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness." It directed the Secretary of the Interior, within 30 days and under 43 U.S.C. 364–364f, to rename the U.S. Continental Shelf area of the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" and to bring back "Mount McKinley" for Denali. The order said the Gulf was "a crucial artery for America's early trade and global commerce" and was meant to honor McKinley's "steadfast commitment to American greatness." It told the Board on Geographic Names to issue guidance so that all federal references, including agency maps, contracts and other documents, would use the new Gulf name. On Jan. 24 the Interior Department, through the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, made the names effective for federal use. CBS reported that other nations would not be required to recognize the Gulf name. On May 8, 2025, the House voted 211–206 for a bill to write the Gulf name into law; ABC reported that its prospects in the Senate were uncertain.
- federalregister.gov
statement
I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America.
- mprnews.org
article
President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent,
- cbsnews.com
article
effective immediately for federal use,
Sources:
federalregister.gov needs a second source · cbsnews.com reliable · mprnews.org reliable · ABC News reliable
