ANNALS OF TRUMPI$TAN/DeSANTI$TAN: A Trump presidential library in downtown Miami would be a study in irony | Opinion. (Blake Fontenay, USA Today, October 19, 2025)

Excellent column by Blake Fontenay, USA Today Commentary Editor: 

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A Trump presidential library in downtown Miami would be a study in irony | Opinion

Freedom Tower's reputation as a kind of Ellis Island South stands in stark contrast to Trump's ongoing efforts to crack down on immigration, including against some Cuban migrants.

Blake Fontenay

USA TODAY

It’s not a surprise that Donald Trump's supporters are making plans for a library of his papers and other keepsakes after he leaves the Oval Office. It's been a common practice to establish presidential libraries, usually in the home states of the former presidents, dating back to Depression-era President Herbert Hoover.

However, the site Trump's supporters have chosen for his library and the manner in which it was acquired are both ironic and legally questionable.

On Sept. 30, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinetunanimously agreed to donate a 2.63-acre parcel of prime downtown Miami real estate to the foundation that will develop the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library. The land, used for parking by Miami Dade College, has been valued at more than $67 million, but the state asked for nothing in return for this gift.

Neither the Cabinet, which includes the state's top constitutional officers, nor the college's board of trustees, which had to approve the giveaway at a separate meeting, spent much time discussing the decision.

Yet it hasn't gone unnoticed.

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Trump's library would be next to the Freedom Tower

The location is right next door to Freedom Tower, an iconic landmark that, after its early days as the Miami News headquarters, later served as the Cuban Refugee Center, a place "where hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles were welcomed to the United States."

The center accommodated many refugees who were fleeing Fidel Castro's communist regime in the 1960s, and they're the ancestors of a substantial portion of Miami's present-day population.

Today, the Freedom Tower includes a museum, operated by the college, that is dedicated to that history.

Freedom Tower's reputation as a kind of Ellis Island South stands in stark contrast to Trump's ongoing efforts to crack down on immigration, including against some Cuban migrants.

That's not the only irony at work here. DeSantis, like other Republican politicians around the country, has tried to mimic Trump by creating a statewide Department of Governmental Efficiency, or DOGE.

DeSantis has no problem spending taxpayer dollars to appease Trump

DeSantis said his efforts would particularly focus on state colleges and universities, including spending cuts for "ideological study stuff."

It's clear from his words and subsequent actions that when he said "ideological," he meant courses and other programming that might be considered too liberal.

With the Cabinet's action, though, he was essentially "spending" $67 million of taxpayer money – in the form of valuable real estate – to allow a library that will undoubtedly be used to support the president's (and DeSantis') more conservative ideology.

Yes, Florida is a red state, but DeSantis and the other officials behind this land swap may have politically miscalculated on this one.

A recent poll of Miami-Dade County residents, conducted by Bendixen & Amandi, found that 74% of them opposed the land swap. That includes nearly 60% of the respondents who identified themselves as Republicans.

Trump won Florida in the 2024 presidential race by a comfortable margin, thanks in large part to his support in Dade County, which historically had been a Democratic stronghold.

Trump won't be on the ballot in 2026 or 2028, but Republicans should be wary about squandering political goodwill earned in the most populous part of the country's third most populous state.

Beyond politics, legal questions remain

Legal questions have complicated the site selection, too.

On Oct. 14, a local judge temporarily blocked the land swap in response to a lawsuit filed by retired professor and local activist Marvin Dunn. The college board of trustees' meeting agenda didn't clearly state the land swap was up for consideration, which Dunn contends is a violation of public notice requirements.

The college could decide to appeal the judge's decision, or just re-advertise the meeting and hold another vote to give away the land. The latter option would give people who have concerns about the move a public forum to be heard.

Beyond the public notice requirements, there could be other legal questions raised.

The Presidential Historical Records Preservation Act of 2008 says a foundation charged with building a presidential library is responsible for covering 60% of the library's costs through fundraising efforts. Historically, there have been other examples of local or state governments making contributions toward presidential library costs, but donating $67 million worth of property seems to take that concept to a different level.

Does the preservation act refer to 60% of total costs, including land acquisition, or construction only? If land acquisition is covered under the act, then would $67 million amount to less than 40% of the total cost?

The latter question would require knowing more about the total scope of the project, which hasn't been publicly discussed.

It seems likely another lawsuit could be filed to halt the presidential library, at least until those questions are resolved. Or, in the alternative, the foundation raising money for the project could pledge to fairly compensate Florida and its state college system for the loss of a taxpayer-funded asset.

It's a given that Trump's legacy will be studied and, by some people, even celebrated. The question is, how much political fallout will accompany the development of the place where that happens?

Blake Fontenay is the commentary editor for USA TODAY.