Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
House Republicans are doing everything they can to get noticed by former President Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, Florida Representative Greg Steube introduced legislation to change the name of parts of the oceans surrounding the US after Trump. Now, another Republican wants to see Trump on the $500 bill.
The US no longer issues the larger denominations such as $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 bills – but they’re still legal to use and may still be in circulation.
Arizona Representative Paul Gosar introduced a bill earlier in June pushing the Treasury to start printing $500 bills again, 79 years after stopping. This time with a portrait of Trump in the place of President William McKinley, who served in the top job from 1897 until his 1901 assassination.
Gosar argued the stunt would draw attention to high inflation under President Joe Biden.
Trump has put his name on everything from steaks, wine, ties, bibles, sneakers and a university – that was shut down in 2010 following allegations of fraud. Now, some GOP members want to see his name in more places.
On 14 June, Steube introduced legislation to designate the exclusive economic zone of the US as the “Donald John Trump Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States.”
“During his time in office, President Trump took several commendable actions for our oceans as part of his work to make America strong, secure, and economically prosperous,” Steube said in a statement.
House Republicans appear to be doing their utmost to catch the eye of the former president in their attempts to be recognized by the leader and presumptive nominee of their party.
Trump has been able to play kingmaker in the past, using his endorsements to either make or break careers.
Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna introduced a bill in May arguing Trump should be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his administration’s foreign policy work.
Former Republican Representative Fred Upton told USA Today, “They’re all trying to curry favor from the former president. They want to be recognized by him.”
He added: “He’s not getting a congressional medal. There’s nothing on that plate. He’s too toxic. It’s a little bit of a stretch for that to go forward based on what happened on January 6.”
Another bill has been introduced to rename Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, DC, for Trump. The airport is named after John Foster Dulles, who was Secretary of State under President Dwight Eisenhower.
Upton suggested that Trump will “get something” named after him, but noted that naming items takes time and bipartisanship.
Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, was renamed for President Ronald Reagan in 1998, nine years after he left office. The new name was signed into law by then-Democratic President Bill Clinton.
In May, Democrats pushed back by suggesting that the Miami Federal Correctional Institution be named after Trump instead as they mocked the former president’s ongoing legal woes.
Late last month, Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to corruptly affect the outcome of the 2016 election. Trump directed a hush money payment to adult actor Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet regarding an alleged affair in 2006. The payment came in the wake of the release of the Access Hollywood tape on which Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women.
Trump faces three other indictments – in Washington, DC and Georgia for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and in Florida for his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
