Trump’s Naming Ambitions Surface as White House Backs Intelligence Chief

WASHINGTON (Azat TV) – President Donald Trump has reportedly sought to rename major transportation hubs, including New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport, in his honor, linking the proposal to federal infrastructure funding, even as his administration faced scrutiny over the role of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a recent FBI raid on a Georgia election center.

According to reports from Punchbowl and CNN, President Trump told Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, that he would release billions of dollars in federal funding earmarked for a New York infrastructure project if Schumer agreed to support the renaming efforts. Senator Schumer reportedly rejected the offer, stating that such a decision was beyond his authority. This move aligns with President Trump’s broader pattern in his second term of attempting to affix his name to various government buildings and projects, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the US Institute of Peace.

White House Defends Intelligence Chief’s Election Role

The White House on Thursday reiterated its defense of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s presence at an FBI raid of an election center in Georgia. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Gabbard’s involvement was ‘to make sure that American elections are free of foreign interference, and that American elections are safe and secure.’ This statement came after President Trump earlier in the day indicated that Gabbard had attended at the urging of Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The administration’s clarification follows earlier remarks by President Trump to NBC News on Wednesday, where he initially stated, ‘I don’t know,’ when asked about Gabbard’s presence. The Guardian reported that Gabbard is conducting an independent review of the 2020 election through her office, with President Trump’s approval and separate from the Department of Justice investigation. Her observation of the raid was reportedly part of this internal effort. Leavitt, however, did not confirm whether President Trump directly ordered Gabbard to Fulton County for the seizure of nearly 700 boxes of 2020 election documentation.

Trump Administration Unveils New Drug Price Initiative

In a separate development, President Trump introduced TrumpRX.gov, a new White House initiative designed to help Americans access discounted prescription drugs. At a White House event, President Trump announced that sixteen of the world’s largest drug manufacturers have agreed to reduce prices for Americans in exchange for exemptions from US tariffs, a deal he described as a ‘most-favored nation’ arrangement. Reuters reported that these companies will also offer reduced prices for Medicaid recipients and cash-paying consumers.

The new website does not sell drugs directly but instead directs patients to other sites for purchases. The platform offers over 40 prescriptions, including GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, blood thinners, inhalers, and medications for cholesterol and diabetes. While the initiative aims to address the significantly higher prescription drug costs in the US compared to other developed nations, it primarily targets uninsured consumers. Juliette Cubanski, deputy director for Medicare policy at health policy organization KFF, noted that the value for insured individuals remains a ‘real question,’ and out-of-pocket costs could still be ‘relatively unaffordable for a lot of people.’

Immigration Enforcement and Federal Workforce Changes

The Trump administration also faced pushback on its immigration policies and moved to implement changes within the federal workforce. Governor Tina Kotek of Oregon and more than 30 mayors from the state sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan, demanding a halt to all federal immigration enforcement actions in Oregon. Their demand follows recent ‘use-of-force’ incidents, including the use of tear gas on protesters outside a Portland ICE facility, and the killings of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents in Minneapolis. Governor Kotek emphasized that current enforcement actions are ‘not making our communities safer.’

Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that his office received assurances that no immigration enforcement operations would occur at the Super Bowl, alleviating earlier concerns. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also addressed comments made by Steve Bannon regarding the potential presence of federal immigration agents at polling places during upcoming midterms, stating she could not ‘guarantee that an ICE agent won’t be around a polling location,’ but dismissed the question as ‘silly hypothetical’ and confirmed no formal plans from the president. Leavitt clarified President Trump’s reference to a ‘softer touch’ in immigration enforcement as increased cooperation between local and federal law enforcement, attributing recent escalations in Minnesota to state and local officials’ refusal to cooperate with federal authorities.

In a separate policy shift, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced a rule change that would reclassify certain career civil service roles, making it easier to fire tens of thousands of federal workers. The OPM stated this move would allow agencies to ‘quickly remove employees from critical positions who engage in misconduct, perform poorly, or obstruct the democratic process by intentionally subverting Presidential directives,’ potentially enabling the administration to remove employees deemed disloyal.

The varied initiatives and controversies surrounding the Trump administration on Thursday, from ambitious naming proposals linked to infrastructure funding to new drug pricing policies and contentious immigration enforcement, reflect a consistent and assertive approach to governance that often seeks to centralize presidential authority and reshape federal operations across diverse sectors.