A giant banner bearing the visage of President Donald Trump was unfurled on the exterior of the Washington headquarters of the federal justice department on Thursday, prompting critics to decry what they called “dictator vibes”. The installation is the latest in a series of moves in which the president has sought to stamp his name and image on public life since returning to office last year.
Among the most prominent examples is the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, inaugurated in 1971 as a “living memorial” to the assassinated president. Trump allies took over the board, installed Trump as its leader, and in December added his name to the centre – a move critics, including Kennedy's relatives, deemed illegal. The venue is now set to close for two years for “refurbishment”. Similarly, the US Institute of Peace saw its board ousted and most staff fired; in December, Trump's name was chiselled into its wall.
Large banners of Trump's face, almost identical to the justice department installation, were erected at the Department of Agriculture and the labor department last year. In Florida, state legislators voted to rename West Palm Beach airport the “President Donald J Trump International Airport”, and a section of road formerly known as Southern Boulevard has been renamed President Donald J Trump Boulevard. The Trump Organisation has applied to trademark the airport name, though it insists it is not seeking to profit.
Trump is also reported to be targeting New York's Penn Station and Washington's Dulles international airport for renames, with federal funding for a north-east infrastructure project allegedly conditional on support from Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. In the military realm, a new class of warships known as Trump-class destroyers was announced in December, featuring hypersonic weapons, high-power lasers and nuclear-armed missiles.
The Washington Commanders' new stadium, set to open in 2030, could be named Trump Stadium, according to a presidential administration official. And legislation proposing Trump's face be added to Mount Rushmore, introduced by Florida congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, has so far stalled. Together, these moves illustrate a sweeping effort by the president to make his presence inescapable across American institutions and landmarks.
