Trump proposed naming Penn Station after himself in exchange for funding the major Gateway Tunnel Project between New York and New Jersey, per multiple outlets
Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- President Donald Trump is considering relocation for Madison Square Garden, the iconic home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, to facilitate the overhaul of New York City’s Penn Station, according to a new report
- The group proposing to move the Garden is backed by a Republican donor who believes the U.S. is in a “cold civil war”
- Trump proposed naming Penn Station after himself in exchange for funding the major Gateway Tunnel Project between New York and New Jersey, multiple outlets reported in February
President Donald Trump is considering relocation for Madison Square Garden, the iconic home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, to facilitate the overhaul of New York City’s Penn Station beneath the arena, according to a new report.
Supporters of the president met with him in the Oval Office and pitched the relocation last September, Gothamist reported on Thursday, March 26, citing sources familiar with the discussion. The White House has declined to confirm the meeting or the president’s consideration of the plan; however, spokesperson Kush Desai told the outlet that “as a New York native, President Trump is personally invested in revitalizing New York Penn Station.”
Trump proposed naming Penn Station after himself in exchange for funding the major Gateway Tunnel Project between New York and New Jersey, multiple outlets reported in February.
Representatives for the Garden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE and have yet to comment publicly on the report. Owner James Dolan, who also owns the Knicks and the Rangers, is a longtime friend of the president and held his 2002 wedding at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort.
The president hosted a rally at the Garden in the closing days of the 2024 election that drew outrage and concern over racist remarks.
Credit: LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty
Penn Station lies largely beneath the Garden and serves around 600,000 commuters a day. Portions of the station, the largest transit hub in the U.S., that once stood above ground were torn down in the 1960s to allow construction of the Garden.
One of three finalists being considered by Penn Station owner Amtrak to handle the redesign proposed moving the Garden across the street last year, according to Gothamist. The nonprofit, the Grand Penn Community Alliance, is backed by wealthy Republican donor Thomas Klingenstein, a New York hedge fund manager and chair of the influential think tank the Claremont Institute.
“He believes that we are in a cold civil war and that our enemy—what he calls the “Woke regime”—are winning, in large measure because Republican leaders have yet to engage,” Klingenstein’s biography on the Claremont Institute website reads. “His essays, speeches and plays all encourage Republicans to do just that— to think, talk, and act as if we are at war.”
The group backed by Klingenstein estimated that its vision for a new Penn Station, including the cost of moving the Garden, would cost around $7.5 billion.
Credit: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty
[Conservatives] “believe in such a thing as great men, which liberals tend not to,” Klingenstein told Gothamist. “So I think there’s a natural connection between classical architecture and conservatism, and I think it makes sense for Trump, who’s trying to Make America Great Again. He, too, is looking backwards.”
“This is the kind of thing that not only would Trump want to put his name on it, but should put his name on it,” he added.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Garden moved multiple times before arriving at its current location in the 1960s. Klingenstein told Gothamist that while “the name is iconic,” the current building is “a little bit bland” and that he believes “Dolan would want to turn a new Garden into something like his Sphere,” the high-tech concert venue he built in Las Vegas.
Dolan rejected the idea of moving the Garden as recently as 2023 in an interview with FOX5 New York. The venue’s current operating permit expires in 2028.
Read the full article here
