Trump Wants Penn Station Named After Him in Exchange for Funding, Apparently

President Donald Trump’s name has taken quite a few hits over the years. Many have called him out for allegedly trying to invoke a dictatorship, while others claim he’s just as bad as the company he keeps (yes, we’re talking about Jeffrey Epstein). So, it’s understandable why he may be trying to regain some of the respect he’s lost by attaching his name to major landmarks or prestigious awards.

For starters, he’s been begging for a Nobel Peace Prize, and now he’s reportedly looking to have Penn Station in New York City renamed after him. Maybe his thinking is that, years from now, people might look back and see him not as a controversial figure, but as someone who must have done something worthy of such a high honor.

Here’s everything to know about Trump’s reported demands to rename Penn Station, and the impact it has had on everyone else.

Donald Trump is apparently holding funding for the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project “hostage” in exchange for having Penn Station in New York renamed after him. Why? Because he can. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to get what he asked for.

According to U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Trump administration has withheld funding for the project, around $16 billion, per Politico. It seems the only way for the state to access the money needed to complete the project is to give him what he wants, having Penn Station named after him.

It’s certainly a bold move on Trump’s part, but it’s also a little childish, considering how many jobs are on the line for the workers involved in the project.

For context, the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project will build nine miles of new passenger rail track stretching between New York and New Jersey and will rehabilitate the North River Tunnel, according to the project’s official website.

Once complete, the project will provide “four modern tracks between New Jersey and New York where there are currently only two.”

While five of the ten construction packages included in the project are already underway, the others have not started, and with Trump’s demands on the table, funding has been frozen until Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer agrees to his terms.

Naturally, this has sparked criticism from fellow politicians, including Gillibrand, who issued a statement via her website calling for Trump to unfreeze the funds: “This is ridiculous. These naming rights aren’t tradable as part of any negotiations, and neither is the dignity of New Yorkers."

Gillibrand's statement continues, "At a time when New Yorkers are already being crushed by high costs under the Trump tariffs, the president continues to put his own narcissism over the good-paying union jobs this project provides and the extraordinary economic impact the Gateway Tunnel will bring. I demand that the president put people first and unfreeze this project — and all the others his administration has been holding hostage for his personal gain.”

But wait, there’s more.

In exchange for releasing the funds for the Gateway Hudson Tunnel Project, Trump is also reportedly seeking to have Washington Dulles International Airport renamed after him. That would mean two major landmarks would bear his name.

A person close to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed to Politico that the senator has declined both requests, saying there is “nothing to trade” and that Trump can “restart the funding with a snap of his fingers.” The project’s funds have been frozen since October 2025.