Trump Will Reportedly Profit Off of Newly-Renamed Donald J Trump International Airport

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Trump Organization will reportedly profit off of the newly-renamed Donald J. Trump International Airport in Florida now that it has been approved to take control of all licensing and merchandising.

County commissioners voted 4-3 earlier this month to rename the Palm Beach International Airport after Trump, and have since handed over trademark and commercial rights to the organization, which is led by Donald Trump Jr.

“Analysts predict the president is likely to net millions from the unorthodox legal agreement between the county and DTTM Operations LLC, his Delaware-based company that oversees licensing, marketing and intellectual property,” according to reporting by The Guardian.

Analysts said such a deal is “unusual for a contract of this nature,” even though it prohibits “direct financial compensation” from items sold at the airport.

The report continued:

For starters, Trump gets to choose exactly which vendors will manufacture and supply whatever branded merchandise is sold there; meanwhile, the non-exclusive agreement does allow the Trump org to cash in on any of that merchandise sold away from the airport, including on his own online store that already hawks a wide array of Trump-themed wares, from the glitzy to the gaudy.

He can also monetize the airport’s new name in any way he sees fit; and can license the trademark to any third party of his choosing.

And he has final approval over how his name, image and likeness are portrayed and presented at the airport, meaning any photographs, written descriptions or biographical references to Trump can be produced by or for him with no fear of pushback.

Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) drew attention to the article by posting on X that “the real story behind Palm Beach International becoming Trump International is not the renaming. It is the coercion that produced it and the extraordinary terms hidden inside the deal,” adding that “the agreement itself is not a normal honorary naming.”

“The Trump family company retains the right to pick vendors, license the name to third parties, and sell branded merchandise off-site,” Levin continued. “This is not an honor bestowed as much as it is a shakedown.”

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