Jim Beam column:Honoring Trump starting early
Should Trump's portrait be on the $100 bill? Or should it be on a newly created $250 bill commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary?
Some GOP members want to help Trump win the Nobel Peace Prize.
How about naming Dulles International Airport in Virginia after Trump?
The Washington subway system could also be called the Trump Train.
What about making June 14 a new federal holiday called 'Trump's birthday and Flag Day?'
Perhaps the most ambitious goal is to ask the Interior Department secretary to arrange for Trump's likeness to be carved into Mount Rushmore alongside George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt.
The Associated Press said all of those are possible under provisions of 'a flurry of bills' Republican lawmakers have sponsored this year.
'Imagine getting the day off work for Donald Trump's birthday,' The AP said. 'Receiving a $100 bill with Trump's portrait on it. Touching down at Donald J. Trump International Airport near the nation's capital. And taking in a show at the Donald J. Trump Center for Performing Arts.'
Doug Heye, a Republican strategist who served as communication director of the Republican National Committee, said the bills have an important audience despite their seeming frivolity.
'This is more about one person,' Heye said. 'It's not, 'Hey, voters, look what I'm trying to do for Donald.' It's Hey, Donald, look what I'm trying to do for you.''
Rep. Addison McDowell of North Carolina sponsored the airport naming bill 72 hours after Trump's swearing in.
'Best president in my lifetime,' McDowell said.
Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas is sponsoring the $100 bill legislation, which now features Benjamin Franklin. It says no $100 bill printed after Dec. 31, 2028, could be printed without Trump's portrait on the front, even though federal law bans living figures from being placed on U.S. currency.
The AP said that law was enacted just after the Civil War in order to avoid the appearance of a monarchy.
Rep. Greg Steube of Florida is sponsoring the Trump Train bill. Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York is backing the June 14 'Trump Birthday and Flag Day' bill.
The most ambitious bill belongs to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida. It's the Mount Rushmore legislation.
Luna said through two assassination attempts and a 'sham impeachment,' Trump has 'shown not just resiliency in character but also has been able to do what no other president has been able to accomplish.'
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina admits he wasn't enamored with Trump at first. Now, The AP said Wilson carries a pamphlet he gives to colleagues asking them to sponsor the $250 bill.
Republican leaders are also trying to get into the act. The GOP's tax cut and immigration law changed the name of a new savings account for children from 'MAGA accounts' to 'Trump accounts.'
Rep. Jason Smith, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said Trump is a transformational leader and advocated for the Trump accounts.
The Nobel Peace Prize effort is being pushed even though Trump hasn't, as promised, ended the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day, or solved the Israeli war against Hamas in Gaza.
Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho doesn't want first lady Melania Trump to be forgotten. His amendment would name the Opera House at the Kennedy Center after the first lady.
The AP said lauding Trump for many Republicans is simply smart politics. He hasn't won them all but his endorsements and rejections have been effective. He has already called the sponsors of a couple of those bills honoring him 'MAGA Warriors.'
Democrats can't do much about any of this, but The AP said they talk about Republicans being more concerned about placating Trump rather than helping Americans.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said, 'House Republicans continue to embarrass themselves. These people are sycophants.'
I had to look that one up. A sycophant is described as a person who acts toward someone important in order to gain an advantage. Among the synonyms, or similar words, are flatterer, kowtower, brown-noser, and yes-man.
Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at jim.beam.press@gmail.com.
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