'A nice gesture': Texas Republicans push to rename a road to the airport 'Trump Way'

An effort in one North Texas city to rename a public street after former President Donald Trump has so far hit roadblocks, but supporters aren’t giving up.

Some Republicans in Wise County have sought to change the name of Airport Drive in Decatur to “Trump Way.” The quarter-mile road leads to the Decatur Municipal Airport on the northern side of the city.

The issue came up multiple times this summer at the Decatur City Council, including Sept. 9, but officials took no action. Several council members said it’s important that the council and the city remain nonpartisan. However, if supporters get enough signatures from registered voters, the proposal for “Trump Way” could come up for a vote on a future ballot.

Rick Lifto, the chairman of the Wise County Republican Party, told the Star-Telegram that there are many streets, highways and buildings throughout Texas named for former presidents — but not Trump.

“I thought well, if we’re going to recognize him in some way, what would be the most appropriate? It seemed appropriate that we should name something after Trump,” Lifto said.

The Metroplex has several highways bearing the names of former commanders-in-chief, most notably those who are from the Lone Star State. The 52-mile President George Bush Turnpike, honoring the 41st president, wraps around the northern suburbs of Dallas — and happens to intersect with the Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway. George H.W. Bush’s name is also on Houston’s airport.

As for Bush 43, there’s Bush Drive that leads to his presidential center at SMU, as well as an elementary school in Collin County and the southbound I-44 bridge at the Red River (which was a tribute bestowed by the state of Oklahoma, which also has a 20-mile stretch of U.S. 287 called Trump Highway in the Panhandle).

Hundreds of thousands of people each day take Ronald Reagan Memorial Highway, also known as Interstate 20, through Arlington. And up in McKinney, there’s a small neighborhood where every street is named after presidents, including Clinton and Carter drives.

Why not a ‘Trump Way’?

In Decatur, population roughly 8,000, the would-be Trump Way is nowhere near as traveled as those other presidential roadways, nor does it have many addresses. There’s a Texas Army National Guard recruiting office on the corner, though technically its address isn’t Airport Drive. Google Maps images show a few potholes along the short stretch of asphalt, which doesn’t even have center striping.

Lifto, the Republican county chair, said he first approached Wise County government leaders about renaming a road after the 45th president (who also hopes to become the 47th). In his view, Lifto said that Trump supported several pieces of legislation that benefited Wise County, including bills calling for high-speed Internet in rural areas.

Wise County overwhelmingly supported the Trump-Pence ticket in 2020, voting 84% for the GOP candidates.

But the county uses a numeric system for naming roads.

He hasn’t had luck with the city of Decatur, either. Officials have said they’re concerned by the potential legal consequences of using city resources to rename a road after a presidential candidate.

City attorney Pam Liston said that public resources and money cannot be used to support or oppose any candidate.

At the Sept. 9 meeting, Mayor pro tem Melinda Reeves said, “I feel very strongly that a lot of problems in our world today are because of partisan politics, and I feel very proud that we are a nonpartisan council. And I feel very strongly that we should stay that way and not do anything that would influence things politically one way or another.”

Mayor Mike McQuiston agreed. “I think we should remain a nonpartisan entity, period.”

Lifto has offered to spend his own money to put up the “Trump Way” sign.

He said he spent a week in August gathering signatures supporting the change. He gave the council paperwork with 128 names.

“We passed around the petitions for one week. Imagine if we would have gone door to door,” he said. “I’m all on board with it, I think it’s a nice gesture” to rename the road.

“Why do they consider it offensive to let people vote on something?”

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