Numerous Democrats reacted with fury to a proposed plan from Rep. Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania, a Republican, to rename Washington, D.C.’s main international airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, after the 45th president. The bill was almost certainly meant as an attention-grabbing troll of the left rather than a serious proposal, and the outrage it garnered seems to indicate it succeeded in that respect.
As background, the bill proposed by Rep. Reschenthaler would rename Washington Dulles International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport. The airport is currently named for John Foster Dulles, a former Secretary of State under President Dwight Eisenhower, one of the men regarded as a key opponent of communism during the early days of the Cold War.
Rep. Reschenthaler’s bill was backed by six of his fellow members of the House Republican Caucus. It almost certainly will not pass through Congress, but it did manage to anger the enemies and critics of the ex-president. Though it is unlikely to advance, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Friday, March 29.
In any case, it set off numerous left-leaning members of Congress. Among them was Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat from Northern Virginia whose district contains part of Dulles. He, when posting on X about the bill, said, “Donald Trump is facing 91 felony charges. If Republicans want to name something after him, I’d suggest they find a federal prison.”
Joining him was Rep. Jennifer Wexton, also from Northern Virginia and whose district contains the part of Dulles not covered by Rep. Connolly’s district. She said, “This is just another in a long list of instances where extreme House Republicans have shown how unserious & delusional they are.” Rep. Wexton added, “Let’s get to work on the real issues the American people sent us here for — not renaming an airport after someone who sought to undermine our democracy.”
Another Northern Virginia Democrat, Rep. Don Beyer, chimed in as well. Posting about the matter on X, he said, “I remember Republicans like those who wrote this bill hiding and giving mealy mouthed responses when asked about the suffering Trump’s Muslim ban caused. They know Dulles will never be renamed after Trump. Again, that’s not the point, the point is to suck up to their Dear Leader.”
Rep. Reschenthaler defended the bill in a statement, saying that it would make an excellent “symbol of freedom, prosperity, and strength.” He said, “As millions of domestic and international travelers fly through the airport, there is no better symbol of freedom, prosperity, and strength than hearing ‘Welcome to Trump International Airport’ as they land on American soil.”
Further, responding to criticism from the left, Rep. Reschenthaler said, “If Democrats spent as much time working for the American people as they spend attacking President Trump, our nation would not be in a state of chaos and weakness. Thankfully, the end to this nightmarish chapter of our nation’s history ends in November.”
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