GOP senator suggests ‘rule’ that no living politician should have a building named after them: ‘You can’t spend public money to promote yourself’

GOP Senator John Kennedy is proposing a new rule that would prevent any living politician from having a building named after them. This suggestion comes as President Trump continues his efforts to rename various public facilities to bear his own name, a trend that has sparked significant legal and political friction.

Kennedy voiced his concerns on Sunday during an appearance on Face the Nation, as reported by The Hill. He told host Margaret Brennan that he believes it should be illegal for public officials to have a building named after them while they are still alive.

This proposal is part of a broader critique from the Louisiana Republican regarding how public funds are utilized. Kennedy specifically argued that public officials should not spend public money on private ads for themselves. He noted that the White House sees it differently, but he maintained that you can’t spend public money to promote yourself.

The issue of naming rights has become a recurring theme throughout the second term of the President

This critique arrives at a time when a new advertisement promoting the President, which was funded with taxpayer money, is currently appearing on multiple networks. Kennedy added a bit of humor to his stance by referencing the President’s past actions.

He said, “I may end up with a sombrero on my head, but I also think we ought to have a rule that no politician can have a building named after him when he’s alive.” This comment referred to the President mocking Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last year by sharing doctored videos of them wearing sombreros.

Trump has made multiple attempts to rename various buildings in his own honor. One high-profile example is the Kennedy Center, where a federal judge stepped in to invalidate several attempts by a Trump-aligned board to add the President’s name to the facility.

Another notable instance involves the U.S. Institute of Peace. The State Department added the name of the President to the building last December. However, the situation is far from settled. Former employees of the institute, who were ousted by the administration, filed a court motion earlier this month to prevent construction crews from carving the name of the President onto the exterior of the building.

The attorneys for the former employees stated in their emergency filing, “The threatened carving would impose serious irreparable harm.” They further argued, “It is a discrete act that can and should be forestalled through a limited, status-quo-preserving modification of the stay pending appeal.”