US President Donald Trump has described a Florida airport renamed in his honour as “one of the greatest and most spectacular” anywhere in the world – but not everyone is as thrilled by the latest extension of his personal branding.

The name of the airport formerly called Palm Beach International Airport was officially changed to President Donald J Trump International Airport on Thursday (US time), after a stretch of road connecting it to his nearby Mar-a-Lago home was renamed earlier this year.

New signage has been erected and “Trump Force One” – a Boeing 757 owned by the Trump Organisation – was the first plane to arrive at the airport under its new name, with the President’s son Eric on board.

“There is no person who has done more for Florida and our country, and no one more deserving of this incredible Honour,” Eric Trump posted on X.

“As a son, and someone who flies out of this airport nearly every day, I will forever be proud to see the initials ‘DJT’ on my boarding pass.”

This morning, Palm Beach International Airport became President Donald J. Trump International Airport — a new name for a Florida landmark, and a lasting tribute to our founder. And there was no better way to mark it than Trump Force One touching down as the very first flight… pic.twitter.com/ZiPl7kdaco

— The Trump Organization (@Trump) July 9, 2026

Changing the airport’s name is expected to cost as much as $5.5 million ($A7.9 million) for new signs, branding and other updates.

It is the subject of two separate lawsuits, with backlash growing after legislation was passed earlier this year to make it possible.

At the time, Florida’s Democratic representative Lois Frankel called the decision “misguided and unfair”, arguing that locals who opposed the change were ignored. She doubled down on Thursday.

“This decision was made in Tallahassee, overriding the voices of the residents, businesses, and travelers who use it every day,” Frankel wrote.

“Palm Beach County deserved a real opportunity to be heard. It never got one. Donald Trump is not our KING!”

There are already 12 other US airports named after presidents – including New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport, named after JFK’s 1963 assassination – but the Florida one will be the first to honour a sitting president.

President Trump himself praised the renaming of the airport in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

“A very big day in Palm Beach, Florida, where it was my Great honour to have the Palm Beach International Airport be renamed, by a spectacular vote, The President Donald J. Trump International Airport,” he proclaimed.

“The Area is HOT, the Location is GREAT, and the Renovation will be SPECTACULAR. Thank you to all in Palm Beach for your Vote and your Confidence,” he wrote in part, calling it “one of the Greatest and Most Spectacular Airports anywhere in the World!”

Travellers interviewed about the change had mixed reactions, with some agreeing Trump should be honoured, while many others argued it was undeserved.

“I think it’s disgusting, ridiculous, pompous and a lot of other bad things… it makes me sick every time I even see the sign…” one angry Florida resident complained to MS Now.

“I resent that the name is on every institution that we have, this included,” said another.

A third traveller said she was unhappy “because of who it is – I don’t agree with his way of thinking… and I’m going to fly in and out of Orlando from now on to get to my destination.”

More than eight million passengers fly in and out of the airport each year, according to one US media outlet, with the President regularly using it since it is so close to Mar-a-Lago.

The latest controversy follows the rebranding of the iconic Kennedy Centre in Washington to include President Trump’s name – a move that was overturned by a judge’s landmark ruling last month.

One social media user upset over the Florida airport name change commented: “So I guess we have to change the name of Kennedy airport also.”