Donald Trump has seen his name plastered across hotels, airplanes, and even water bottles, but if it’s up to Democratic Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro, the outgoing president will never see his name on more than a box of dried-out Trump Steaks.
Castro tweeted on Thursday that he was preparing legislation that would “prohibit any federal building or property from being named after President Donald J. Trump” once he leaves office.
“President Trump incited an insurrection that damaged some [of] our nation’s most significant and sacred federal property,” Castro wrote. “Most importantly – let us learn from our past. Donald Trump should never become a future generation’s confederate symbol.”
Castro’s message comes after pro-Trump rioters breached the U.S. Capitol this week to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory. That morning, Trump inflamed his supporters by continuing to spread unfounded claims that the election was stolen from him. He later released a video statement from the White House where he professed his love for rioters and called them “very special.”
It’s been a longstanding tradition to name federal buildings after former presidents. According to the U.S. General Services Administration, federal buildings and properties named after presidents include a U.S. courthouse in Santa Ana, California, named after Ronald Reagan and a Department of Education Building in Washington, D.C., named after Lyndon B. Johnson.
Presidential libraries have also been established for each president since Herbert Hoover. The Barack Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which includes a new branch of the city’s public library, is scheduled to begin construction this year.
With that said, perhaps an exception to the rule can be a Donald J. Trump Waste Management and Disposal Facility in Palm Beach?