Utah GOP lawmaker behind bill to rename highway after Trump to retire

The Utah lawmaker who recently proposed renaming a highway in southern Utah after President Trump said he plans to retire.

“It’s been a great ride, but 16 years is enough,” state Rep. Mike Noel (R) told Utah Policy on Friday.

Noel had said that he was withdrawing his proposal because it was “still controversial,” even after he amended it so that only three spots on the highway would bear the president’s name.

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“It was a hard, hard vote for my colleagues, even though the president has done really wonderful things for Utah,” he said when he pulled the bill, as reported by The Salt Lake Tribune.

Noel said he received a deluge of personal attacks and even death threats because of his proposal.

The bill faced an uphill battle, especially after Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) suggested Tuesday that he may have vetoed the bill if it made it to his desk.