Inside Trump's feverish Republican fan club on Capitol Hill
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President Trump speaks to reporters outside a House Republican conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 20, 2025. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images.
Most congressional Republicans can be counted as allies to President Trump, but within their ranks is a core group of loyalists who want to remake American monuments, infrastructure and even currency in his image.
Why it matters: The virtual cult of personality around the president on Capitol Hill offers a window just how much pressure there is on GOP lawmakers to fall in line with his big-ticket legislation.
- The president's personal intervention has, multiple times in recent months, saved marquee Republican legislation that appeared on track to fail due to lingering concerns among GOP holdouts.
Driving the news: Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) became the latest Republican lawmaker to introduce legislation aimed at honoring Trump. His longshot bill would rename D.C.'s metrorail system the "Trump train."
- He also proposed renaming the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA), a play on Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.
- If D.C. does not make the changes, the bill would withhold more than $150 million in annual federal grants to WMATA.
Zoom in: Steube's bill is just one of more than a half dozen pieces of GOP legislation explicitly aimed at flattering the president.
"Trump Derangement Syndrome"
- Reps. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) introduced a bill directing the National Institutes of Health to "conduct or support research to advance the understanding of Trump Derangement Syndrome, including its origins, manifestations, and long-term effects."
- The bill defines Trump Derangement Syndrome, or TDS, as a "behavioral or psychological phenomenon characterized by intense emotional or cognitive reactions to Donald J. Trump, his actions, or his public presence."
Mount Rushmore
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) introduced a bill in January that would direct the Secretary of the Interior to arrange for Trump's head to be carved on to Mount Rushmore.
Trump holiday
- Flag Day, which coincides with Trump's birthday, celebrates the U.S. adopting the Stars and Stripes as its official flag on June 14, 1777.
- Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) introduced a measure in February to designate June 14 as "Trump's Birthday and Flag Day" in U.S. Code.
The $100 and $250 bills
- Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) introduced the "Golden Age Act of 2025," which would require all $100 bills printed after 2028 to feature a portrait of Trump on their front face.
- Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) introduced a bill to require the creation of $250 bills with Trump's portrait on them in honor of the U.S.'s 250th birthday.
Trump accounts
- The House-passed budget reconciliation bill would create $1,000 savings accounts for every baby born after October 2026.
- Initially called "MAGA Accounts," the bill was changed to formally call these de facto baby bonds "Trump Accounts."
Trump airport
- Rep. Addison McDowell (R-N.C.) introduced a bill to rename Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. to the "Donald Trump International Airport."
- House Republicans, including members of leadership, have been pushing for that change since last April.
Zoom out: Beyond these bills is an even larger realm of legislation aimed at codifying various Trump hobby horses.
- Republican lawmakers have introduced a raft of impeachment measures against federal judges who have blocked Trump's agenda items.
- They have also introduced bills to allow the U.S. to enter into negotiations to purchase Greenland and the Panama Canal, and to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."
