he name on South Florida’s busiest airport has officially changed—and the Trump family made sure the first arrival matched the moment.
President Donald J. Trump International Airport officially opened under its new name Thursday, with Eric Trump arriving aboard Trump Force One in the ceremonial first landing after the airport’s redesignation.
“There’s no way in hell I was letting UPS be the first plane to land,” Eric Trump said during an appearance on Fox & Friends.
“So we got on Trump Force One… we touched down at exactly 5:01 a.m. this morning, and it was a beautiful day.”
Eric Trump arrived on the first flight to land at President Donald J. Trump International Airport after the airport’s new name officially took effect at 5:01 a.m. this morning. pic.twitter.com/5xXlGouw10
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 9, 2026
The airport, known for decades as Palm Beach International Airport, was officially renamed earlier this year after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation redesignating the South Florida hub as President Donald J. Trump International Airport, citing the president’s longstanding ties to the region.
“I don’t think there’s anybody more synonymous with Palm Beach than Donald Trump,” Eric Trump said.
He said using Trump Force One for the inaugural landing carried special significance because of the aircraft’s role throughout his father’s political rise.
“This is the plane that carried him to victory,” he said. “It was the backdrop of so many of the presidential campaign stops.”
“There’s so many stops with us as a family, so it was an incredibly special moment for us this morning.”
Located just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago, the airport has long served as President Trump’s primary gateway to Palm Beach during both his presidency and political campaigns.
For Eric Trump, Thursday’s landing represented more than a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.
“It’s just a special moment. He’s a man that deserves it. He’s the man that’s done so much for this country,” he said.
“He’s fought like hell for all of us and, as a son who worked so hard to make this happen, I couldn’t be more proud.”
“Today was a really, really special moment.”
More over at Fox News:
Palm Beach airport's President Donald J Trump International rebrand celebrated as Trump plane touches downhttps://t.co/8mM9MAqVq3
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) July 9, 2026
