Leavitt Challenges Trump’s Assertion on Schumer’s Penn Station Renaming Proposal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt directly addressed Donald Trump’s assertion that he had not proposed renaming New York's Penn Station after himself. “It was something the president floated in his conversation with Chuck Schumer,” she stated on Tuesday, responding to inquiries about the president's interest in the name change. “Why not?”

Leavitt's comments followed Trump's recent claims that he would release millions in federal funds for a $16 billion infrastructure project in New York if Senator Schumer agreed to rename both Penn Station and Virginia's Dulles International Airport in his honor.

On Friday, Trump insisted that it was Schumer who suggested the renaming. “He suggested that to me,” Trump told reporters en route to Mar-a-Lago. “Chuck Schumer suggested that to me, about changing the name of Penn Station to Trump Station. Dulles Airport is really separate.”

In response, Schumer quickly took to social media to refute Trump's claims. "Absolute lie. He knows it. Everyone knows it," Schumer wrote, emphasizing that only one individual has the power to restart the stalled project. “Only one man can restart the project and he can restart it with the snap of his fingers.”

As of Tuesday evening, Schumer had not publicly addressed Leavitt’s remarks. The senator's office has been contacted for further comment.

In October, Trump froze $200 million in federal funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project, despite prior congressional approval. This project aims to connect New York and New Jersey while replacing aging infrastructure.

The Gateway Development Commission, responsible for overseeing the project, filed a lawsuit against the federal government last week due to the funding freeze. A Manhattan judge ruled against the Trump administration, ordering the release of funds on the same day Trump made his comments about Schumer.

However, shortly thereafter, the Department of Transportation sought a temporary restraining order against this ruling, arguing that there would be no clear way to recover the funds if forced to do so. As of Tuesday, work on the project remained halted, with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday to discuss future actions.

The White House and the Department of Transportation have been approached for comments regarding this situation.

The Trump administration has not provided a specific rationale for freezing the funds, instead blaming Democrats for failing to negotiate a resolution.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill criticized the administration's delays, stating, "I took the president to court on Friday, and I won. The court demanded release of that money, and he has yet to do so." She expressed frustration over equipment waiting to be utilized while workers remain idle due to political maneuvering.

Sherrill also linked delays in the New Jersey Transit system to her funding demands.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York expressed her outrage over the alleged naming negotiations in a post on X. “These naming rights aren’t tradable as part of any negotiations, and neither is the dignity of New Yorkers,” she asserted. “I demand that the president put people first and unfreeze this project and all the others his administration has been holding hostage for his personal gain.”