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The Trump administration continues to officially push to change the name of New York\u2019s iconic Penn Station in midtown Manhattan \u2014 and you\u2019ll never guess which historically unpopular current American president<\/a> they may try to rename it after.<\/p>\n In a new letter<\/a> to congressional members<\/a>, Transportation secretary Sean Duffy<\/a> laid out the administration\u2019s priorities for transportation projects nationwide including the planned 2027 groundbreaking on the $8 million renovation of Penn Station, a joint project between the U.S. Department of Transportation and Amtrak. The letter was addressed to the Republican chairmen and Democratic ranking members of three Senate committees: Environment and Public Works; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.<\/p>\n On the massive transit hub, Duffy wrote that Penn Station will be \u201cre-built into a brand-new, world-class station\u201d and called on Congress to authorize several changes to make that goal possible, including the passage of the controversial McDowell amendment<\/a>, which experts say expands Amtrak\u2019s eminent-domain powers and allows the company to acquire nearby properties as a way of generating revenue. But tucked in among Duffy\u2019s proposals regarding legislation and financial grants, there was also a request to Congress to \u201cdirect Amtrak to rename New York Penn Station.\u201d<\/p>\n Duffy notably stopped short of suggesting any potential new names for the station. But the secretary has previously signaled approval for forever linking Donald Trump with New York City\u2019s mediocre regional train service. At a press conference last year in August<\/a>, where Duffy and Amtrak executive Andy Byford revealed the accelerated timeline for the Penn Station remodel, Duffy addressed the possibility of renaming the station after Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cI imagine you\u2019re asking, \u2018Is this going to be Trump Station?\u2019\u201d Duffy said at the time. \u201cI think that has a nice ring to it.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s been reported that Trump \u2014 who really likes having his name on things \u2014 has also floated becoming the new namesake of Penn Station. In February, CNN <\/a>reported that the president told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer<\/a> that he would release the stalled funding for the Gateway Tunnel project in exchange for renaming both Penn Station and Washington, D.C.\u2019s Dulles International Airport after him \u2014 a proposal the New York senator rejected. Trump later claimed<\/a> it was Schumer who made the suggestion to him.<\/p>\n Reports of the federal government\u2019s renaming push was met with swift condemnation from the state\u2019s congressional delegation. Representative Jerry Nadler<\/a>, who serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said that Duffy\u2019s letter confirmed that Trump is \u201cwaging a hostile takeover of Penn Station.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI strongly oppose this ridiculous proposal and am once again demanding answers on the funding,\u201d Nadler wrote on social media<\/a>. \u201cThis will be one of the most expensive projects in the country, yet the administration still has not disclosed how it will be funded or who will pay the bill. New York taxpayers and transit riders must not be forced to foot the bill for a Trump vanity project.\u201d<\/p>\n Schumer issued his own statement, writing, \u201cPenn Station needs to be rebuilt for the millions of commuters who use it, not rebranded to satisfy Trump\u2019s bottomless ego. Secretary Duffy should stop scheming to flatter the president and start delivering the safe, modern station New Yorkers deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n Should such efforts to oppose a Trump renaming fail, New Yorkers may also have to reckon with to \u201c34th Street\u2013Trump Station\u201d on the subway every day.<\/p>\n Though Trump\u2019s haphazard attempt to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., after himself was ultimately struck down<\/a> by a federal judge, Florida lawmakers succeeded<\/a> in naming the state\u2019s airport in Palm Beach, which neighbors Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago resort, after the president earlier this month. To get from Mar-a-Lago to President Donald J. Trump International Airport<\/a>, you can take President Donald J. Trump Boulevard, and when you get there, you may soon be able to flash your commemorative Trump passport<\/a> to the TSA. If you fly to D.C., be sure to visit the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace and swing by the White House gift shop where you might be able to pick up the U.S. mint\u2019s new gold-colored $1 commemorative Trump coin<\/a>. If your flight is delayed by several years, you might even be able to see one of the U.S. Navy\u2019s new \u201cgolden fleet\u201d of Trump-class battleships<\/a> under construction in Virginia.<\/p>\n Sign Up for the Intelligencer\u00a0Newsletter<\/p>\n Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n