Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
White House pitches renaming Penn Station as Trump Station to unlock Gateway tunnel funding
By
Clayton Guse
and
Stephen Nessen
Published Feb 6, 2026
Modified Feb 6, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Adam Gray/Getty Images
By
Clayton Guse
and
Stephen Nessen
Published Feb 6, 2026
Modified Feb 6, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
President Donald Trump’s team offered to unfreeze federal funding for the paused Gateway tunnel project if Democrats in Congress agree to rename Penn Station and Washington Dulles International Airport after him, according to someone with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
The source said the request came as Senate Democrats led by minority leader Chuck Schumer sought to make a deal to save the $16 billion mega-project, which centers on the construction of a new set of train tunnels beneath the Hudson River. A second source with knowledge of Schumer’s thinking said, “There was no trade. The president stopped the funding and he can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers.”
The sources asked not to be named to describe negotiations between Democrats and the White House. The request by the White House officials was first reported by Punchbowl News.
Commuters at Penn Station on Friday said they couldn't care less what the building is called. They just wanted more reliable transportation.
”It seems like blackmail to me,” said Brandon Ellis, 40, from New Jersey said after arriving at the station. ”If you want to appeal to a narcissist sure, go ahead … it's a stupid thing to have to do to get funding that's already been appropriated by Congress.”
”Maybe they should do a cage fight about it, we can pit [Mayor Zohran] Mamdani and Trump together," Ellis added. "That sounds just as stupid as putting [Trump's] name on it. “
The federal government took control of the long-stalled reconstruction of Penn Station from the MTA last year. Amtrak, which is federally-run and technically owns Penn Station, now plans to begin overhauling the dark, dingy facility as soon as 2027. The project presents an opportunity for Trump to build a legacy-defining train station in his hometown.
After the feds took over the project last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul indicated she was open to renaming the station after Trump. “If he puts $7 billion into it? Who knows,” she said last April.
"What do you expect from this guy?” Malcolm Chavis, 30, an actor from New Jersey said after arriving at Penn Station. “ It's like if we don't cater to what he wants you get the boot.”
Three private groups are in the running to oversee the rebuild, one of which includes Trump allies who have helped push the president’s “Make America Beautiful Again” agenda that aims to require all new federal buildings to be designed with neoclassical architecture like Greco-Roman columns and marble.
The Gateway tunnel project and the Penn Station overhaul are directly linked. The new Hudson River tunnels will serve the station, and Gateway officials say they must be built in order to close and repair the old tubes, which were damaged in 2012 by Hurricane Sandy.
But even with the new tunnels, Penn Station’s capacity will not change. In order to handle more train traffic the transit hub would need to be renovated to hold more tracks and platforms, or LIRR and NJ Transit trains would need to team up for a “through-running” system, where both railroads share tracks and travel through Penn instead of stopping at the station and turning around.
Andy Byford, who’s overseeing the Penn Station rebuild for Trump, said he has no plans to expand the station to the south. He has promoted through-running as a solution for the station.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Oral arguments are expected Friday afternoon in a suit brought by New York and New Jersey that looks to compel the federal government to unlock the Gateway funding.
Tagged
manhattan
transportation
Clayton Guse
Clayton is the editor of the Transit and Infrastructure desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .