The Federal Government, Brought To You By Trump

Published on: Sat, 07 Feb 2026 11:00:00 GMT
Original Story: Opinion | Trump’s obsession with renaming buildings after himself is about more than ego – MS NOW

Because Nothing Says ‘Small Government’ Like 20-Foot Gold Letters

I just spent three hours in a breakout room discussing “brand cohesion” and “synergy” for a project that will inevitably be killed by a mid-level director named Gary who hasn’t had a creative thought since the 1996 Olympics. So, naturally, reading about the latest push to slap the 45th (and 47th) President’s name on every piece of federal drywall is exactly the kind of “rebranding” news that makes me want to stare directly into the office microwave until my retinas melt. It’s the ultimate corporate pivot, really. Why bother with the tedious work of governing when you can just focus on the signage?

For those of us Elder Millennials who have survived three “once-in-a-lifetime” economic collapses and the slow, agonizing death of the weekend, we know a branding exercise when we see one. This isn’t just about ego—though, let’s be honest, the ego involved here has its own gravitational pull and probably a dedicated Slack channel. It’s about the total conversion of public service into a personal franchise. It’s the “Live, Laugh, Love” sign of authoritarianism, except instead of being bought at a Target during a wine-fueled Saturday, it’s being etched into the granite of our crumbling infrastructure. It’s the ultimate “I was here” tag by a guy who views the entire U.S. Treasury as a distressed asset he picked up at a foreclosure auction.

The report suggests this obsession with renaming buildings—airports, post offices, perhaps the very concept of the horizon—is part of a broader strategy to “Dismantle the Bureaucracy.” And honestly, what’s more “disruptive” than turning the Department of Labor into the “Trump Center for Winning at Jobs”? It’s the kind of top-down corporate restructuring that usually ends with 40% of the staff getting laid off via a pre-recorded Loom video. If you can’t make the government work, you might as well make sure everyone knows who to blame when the elevators in the federal building stop working but the gold leaf on the exterior looks fantastic.

I can already see the Jira tickets: “Update all federal letterhead to 24pt Copperplate Gothic,” or “Replace all ‘Exit’ signs with ‘The Greatest Exits You’ve Ever Seen.'” It’s exhausting. We’re reaching a level of late-stage capitalism where the state doesn’t just serve the brand; it is the brand. I’d ask if this violates some sort of constitutional norm, but my “Emotional Intelligence for Managers” seminar starts in five minutes, and I’ve already reached my quota for caring about the structural integrity of democracy before lunch. If they rename the IRS the “Trump Collection Agency,” do I still have to file my 1040, or can I just send a “Thoughts and Prayers” card? Asking for a friend who is currently hiding in the breakroom.

Related Coverage:

• Opinion – Trump’s Obama Derangement Syndrome (via The New York Times)
• Italy says cannot join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ because of constitution (via Al Jazeera)
• Trump’s Racist Post Deserves Outrage (via Christianity Today)