Jamaica Hospital removes Trump name after years of community pressure
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THE TRUMP PAVILION FOR NURSING AND REHABILITATION AT JAMAICA HOSPITAL. GOOGLE MAPS
By David Brand
The Trump name no longer looms above the ex-president’s birthplace in Queens.
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s board of trustees voted Jan. 25 to remove the Trump title from its facilities, including a pavilion named for Donald Trump’s mother Mary since 1975, a hospital spokesperson told the Eagle. The familiar bold typeface favored by the former president was removed last month.
“The hospital had been made aware of recent security issues related to the use of the name Trump and, as a result, The Jamaica Hospital Medical Center Board of Trustees voted on January 25th to remove the Trump name from its facilities,” Jamaica Hospital said in a statement.
“We feel this decision is in the best interest of our patients, staff and the community,” they added.
The former Trump Pavilion for Nursing and Rehabilitation is now known as the the Jamaica Hospital Nursing Home, a spokesperson said.
President Trump was born in Jamaica Hospital in 1946, and the facility was named after his mother Mary Trump after the family made a large donation more than 45 years ago. The hospital constructed a new facility to replace the original in 2009 but maintained Trump title.
The Jamaica Hospital board decided to remove the name less than two weeks after Trump was impeached on charges that he incited a violent attack at the U.S. Capitol.
In the wake of the insurrection, New York City moved to cancel contracts with the Trump Organization and remove the name from a golf course and a skating rink.
Jamaica Hospital, a private facility in Richmond Hill, had previously said it faced legal issues around removing the name.
In 2015, the hospital elected to keep the Trump title despite intense pressure from the community, including Republican Councilmember Eric Ulrich.
“Since he announced his presidential bid, he has gone out of his way to offend immigrants, women and now veterans,” Ulrich said in 2015, according to the Queens Chronicle.
At the time, the Trump Organization told the Chronicle the name “cannot be removed” because it was part of a “major donation by Fred and Donald Trump.”
The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story.
Throughout Trump’s presidency, his surname appeared above the Van Wyck Expressway, a major artery to and from Kennedy Airport that is traveled by 170,000 commuters per day.
Community leaders, including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and local Democratic District Leader Richard David, said the name did not belong on a hospital that serves mostly Black, Latino and South Asian residents in one of Queens’ most diverse districts.
“I think it’s shocking that this hospital that serves primarily immigrants and communities of color continues to have the president's name adorn the facility,” David told the Eagle in January. “It’s the first thing you see when you come out of the airport area.”
On Monday, David said the hospital made the right decision to remove the Trump name.
“It only took an insurrection, but this is an important step toward healing and I’m happy to see the hospital take this step to represent the values of the communities that it serves, especially Black and Brown communities around it,” he said.
Additional reporting by Rachel Vick.
