When Donald Trump visited Mount Vernon, the residence of George Washington, in 2018, he showed little interest in the property and the first president of the United States. However, he criticized his predecessor: "If he had been smart, he would have put his name on it. You have to put your name on things, or no one remembers you."
His insatiable obsession with standing out is unprecedented, and the key difference with other American rulers is that he renames things by applying force—not through an executive action, but by exerting pressure and negotiating as a political favor. Trump's efforts to glorify himself are a significant and growing problem at this time.
Most who have occupied the White House aspire to greatness recognized by future generations. These do not matter to Trump; his excessive and irrational immodesty leads him to self-promotion, making changes on his own, staging his actions like a domineering old real estate magnate.
At no time in history has something been systematically named in honor of a president still in office, and it is inconceivable that he accepts tributes from men within his own administration, such as when they put on a show by naming a six-kilometer stretch of road from the airport to his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
In another illegal act—which may be reversible when he leaves office—he added his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, founded in 1971. He removed the board and sat as the new president of the institution, leading to cancellations of performances by artists, rejection by companies, and parts of the public. Trying to quell criticism, he announced that he will close the venue in July of this year to reopen it renovated in 2028.
A CNN poll last month inquired about the president's changes to cultural institutions like the Kennedy Center, and 62% of Americans responded that "he had gone too far." The most serious and relevant aspect of the survey is that to the question, "Does he care about you?" a historic low of 33% said it applied to the President, as 77% disagreed.
He has taken unprecedented actions in the modern history of the country, including even monetary proposals bearing his name.
On the same day as his second inauguration, January 20, 2025, he signed Executive Order 14172 to unilaterally rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, and suffered a political defeat because the vast majority of Americans believe he should not be able to do things on his own.
But Trump wants to stamp his name on whatever he can, however he can, by force or blackmail, hoping that somehow, they will remember him.
