All the ways Republicans want to honor Trump, from the $100 bill to Mount Rushmore

WASHINGTON (AP) — Imagine getting the day off work for Donald Trump's birthday. 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.

All would be possible under a flurry of bills Republican lawmakers have sponsored this year.

Trump is six months into his second term, but some Republicans are ready to elevate him into the pantheon of American greats, proposing an ever-growing list of bills paying tribute well before his second term ends. One lawmaker even proposes carving his face into Mount Rushmore.

It's a legislative exercise mixing flattery and politics, providing another stark reminder of the Republican Party’s transformation under Trump as lawmakers from red-leaning states and congressional districts look for ways to win the president’s good graces — and stay close to his supporters.

Doug Heye, a Republican strategist who served as communications 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.’”

House Republicans moved quickly to honor Trump after his second term began. The bill to rename Dulles International Airport in Virginia after Trump was introduced 72 hours after his swearing-in.

“Best president in my lifetime," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Addison McDowell of North Carolina. "And I can’t think of a better way to honor somebody than to cement their place in history by naming an international airport in our nation’s capital after him.”

Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas waited a few more weeks before sponsoring his bill to put Trump on the $100 bill, which now features Benjamin Franklin. His legislation stated 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. That law, enacted just after the Civil War, was intended to avoid the appearance of a monarchy.

Another proposal from Rep. Greg Steube of Florida would rename Washington's subway system the Trump Train. There's also a bill from Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York making June 14 a new federal holiday called "Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day.”

Perhaps the most daring idea comes from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who wants the Interior Department secretary to arrange for Trump's likeness to be carved into Mount Rushmore alongside Washington, Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt. She has two models of it in her office.

Luna said through two assassination attempts and a “sham impeachment," Trump has “shown not just resiliency in character but also to have 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, Wilson carries a pamphlet he gives to colleagues asking them to sponsor a bill that would direct the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to design and print a $250 bill bearing Trump's image. The honor would coincide with the 250th anniversary of the United States declaring its independence.

“I believe the president has served in a such a manner that he deserves it,” Wilson said.

It’s not just a few random Republicans taking part. In the GOP’s tax cut and immigration law, leadership changed the name of a new savings account for children from “MAGA accounts” to “Trump accounts.”

“Because Trump is a transformational leader and he advocated for them," Rep. Jason Smith, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said of the name change.

Several lawmakers are also talking Trump up as someone who should win the Nobel Peace Prize.

As a candidate, Trump promised he would end the Russia-Ukraine war on his first day in office before saying later as president he was joking. Solving that conflict and Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has eluded Trump.

But Republicans — and at least one foreign leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are still proposing Trump receive the prize. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio has called on the Senate to nominate Trump, while Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee asked her social media followers to share her post if they agree he deserves it.

Tenney recently wrote on X she has nominated Trump twice and will continue to do so until he's awarded the prize.

An appropriations bill making its way through the House includes an amendment from Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho that would name the Opera House at the Kennedy Center for first lady Melania Trump.

Simpson said the White House didn't know about the amendment until it was introduced. He said the effort is different from renaming Dulles Airport in Trump's honor because the theater isn't currently named after anyone.

"She's just been a supporter of the arts, always has been, and we're trying to keep the arts alive in this bill,” Simpson said. “So we thought it was the appropriate thing to do.”

For many Republicans, lauding Trump in legislation is simply smart politics. Trump’s endorsement helped catapult many lawmakers into elected office, and his support could be helpful as individual members try to get their priorities into law.

Plus, Trump wields his endorsement aggressively to replace members he finds disloyal and reward allies. He's already endorsed Gill and Luna for reelection in 2026, calling them “MAGA Warriors.”

But the power of a Trump endorsement extends beyond the primary, especially in the midterm elections.

“In the general election, they just send a signal to Trump voters to turn out, to trust somebody and vote for them,” said Steve Stivers, former chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Democrats have taken note of the flurry of Trump tributes, seeing it as a chance to portray a pliant Republican majority as being focused on placating Trump rather than helping Americans.

“House Republicans continue to embarrass themselves," said Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. “These people are sycophants.”

President Donald Trump listens at an event to promote his proposal to improve Americans' access to their medical records in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

FILE - The likeness of Benjamin Franklin is seen on a U.S. $100 bill, Feb. 22, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during a Kennedy Center board dinner in the State Dining Room at the White House, May 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - The faces of Mount Rushmore National Memorial are seen Sept. 21, 2023, in, Keystone, S.D. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

OpenAI says it will soon start showing advertisements to ChatGPT users who aren't paying for a premium version of the chatbot.

The artificial intelligence company said Friday it hasn't yet rolled out ads but will start testing them in the coming weeks.

It's the latest effort by the San Francisco-based company to make money from ChatGPT's more than 800 million users, most of whom get it for free.

Though valued at $500 billion, the startup loses more money than it makes and has been looking for ways to turn a profit.

“Most importantly: ads will not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you,” said Fidji Simo, the company’s CEO of applications, in a social media post Friday.

OpenAI said the digital ads will appear at the bottom of ChatGPT's answers “when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation.”

The ads “will be clearly labeled and separated from the organic answer,” the company said.

Two of OpenAI’s rivals, Google and Meta, have dominated digital advertising for years and already incorporate ads into some of their AI features.

Originally founded as a nonprofit with a mission to safely build better-than-human AI, OpenAI last year reorganized its ownership structure and converted its business into a public benefit corporation. It said Friday that its pursuit of advertising will be “always in support” of its original mission to ensure its AI technology benefits humanity.

But introducing personalized ads starts OpenAI “down a risky path” previously taken by social media companies, said Miranda Bogen of the Center for Democracy and Technology.

“People are using chatbots for all sorts of reasons, including as companions and advisors," said Bogen, director of CDT’s AI Governance Lab. “There’s a lot at stake when that tool tries to exploit users’ trust to hawk advertisers’ goods.”

OpenAI makes some money from paid subscriptions but needs more revenue to pay for its more than $1 trillion in financial obligations for the computer chips and data centers that power its AI services. The risk that OpenAI won’t make enough money to fulfill the expectations of backers like Oracle and Nvidia has amplified investor concerns about an AI bubble.

“It is clear to us that a lot of people want to use a lot of AI and don’t want to pay, so we are hopeful a business model like this can work,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a post Friday on social platform X. He added that he likes the ads on Meta's Instagram because they show him things he wouldn't have found otherwise.

OpenAI claims it won't use a user's personal information or prompts to collect data for ads, but the question is “for how long,” said Paddy Harrington, an analyst at research group Forrester.

“Free services are never actually free and these public AI platforms need to generate revenue,” Harrington said. “Which leads to the adage: If the service is free, you’re the product.”

FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)