Lawmaker introduces bill to bar sitting presidents from naming federal buildings after themselves

A lawmaker said today they introduced legislation to prohibit any sitting president from naming a federal building after himself, arguing that such acts are a hallmark of authoritarian leaders.

"Of the many crises facing this country, what worries me the most is Trump moving America toward an authoritarian society," the lawmaker said, adding that one way authoritarians act is by "name[ing] buildings after themselves." The speaker used that pattern to justify the new proposal and to underline concerns about concentrated executive power.

The lawmaker explicitly alleged that President Trump "has named the Kennedy Center after an assassinated president of The United States after himself" and called the action "not only outrageous, it is illegal." That specific characterization of the Kennedy Center is incorrect: the center bears the name of President John F. Kennedy. The article reports the lawmaker's claim because it appears verbatim in the transcript, and also notes the factual inaccuracy to avoid repeating misinformation.

"Today, I've introduced legislation to prohibit any sitting president from naming a federal building after himself," the lawmaker said, asking for colleagues' support and closing the remarks. The transcript does not include the bill text, a bill number, co-sponsors, or procedural next steps.

The lawmaker's remarks tied a symbolic practice — naming public sites after sitting executives — to broader concerns about the erosion of democratic norms. Beyond the lawmaker's statement that the practice is illegal, the transcript contains no citation of a statute or legal authority to support that legal claim.

The lawmaker concluded, "I hope you'll support it. Thanks." The record here is limited to the speech; the bill's path through any committee, committee referral, or legislative calendar was not specified in the transcript.