A Republican lawmaker in Ohio has proposed renaming one of the state’s parks in honor of former President Donald Trump, citing his popularity among locals, Newsweek reports.
State Representative Mike Loychik said he would introduce legislation to rename Mosquito Lake State Park in Trumbull County. He represents part of the county.
“This legislation is meant to honor the commitment and dedication that our 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, bestowed upon the great people of Trumbull County,” Loychik said in a statement last week.
“I witnessed the unprecedented and astounding support that President Trump received from constituents across the 63rd district and on Mosquito Lake State Park,” he said.
“This enthusiasm for our former president was also historic throughout the state of Ohio last November as he pushed for initiatives and policies that was very well received with my constituency and the state.
“I will soon be introducing this bill to recognize the triumphs Trump brought over the last four years to this great nation and the Buckeye state.”
The park offers campgrounds, boating, swimming, hiking, picnicking and natural beauty including “mature woodlands and vast marshes” according to the Ohio State Parks website.
“Many wildlife species find the park’s varied habitats suitable,” the site says. “Red fox, woodchuck, muskrat, beaver, fox squirrel, raccoon, rabbit and white-tailed deer are common. Recently, river otters were reintroduced in nearby favorable locations. Several otter families have been sighted.”
There has already been a backlash against Loychik’s idea, according to an op-ed in Ohio newspaper The Vindicato.
Michael J. O’Brien, a Democrat who also represents part of the state park in the Statehouse, suggested alternatives to Trump including the 25th president, William McKinley. The Republican, who was assassinated in 1901, was a native of Ohio.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, a California Democrat, Rep. Linda Sánchez, has introduced a bill that would prevent federal properties from bearing Trump’s name.
“For years, Donald Trump poured gasoline on lies, encouraging racism and hatred, then lit the match on January 6th. A president who has been impeached twice does not deserve the honors bestowed on a former president,” Sánchez said in a statement on January 27.
“We should never glorify the hatred Donald Trump personified as president. This bill ensures that there is no glory for hate—not a building, statue, or even a park bench.”
Her bill, the No Glory for Hate Act, has yet to advance in the House and would apply only to federal properties. The future name of Mosquito Lake State Park is still an open question.
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