US President proposes renaming the 'Strait of Hormuz' to the 'Strait of Trump'
Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump has proposed renaming the Strait of Hormuz to the “Trump Strait,” following his declaration that the strategic waterway is now under US control. In a post, Trump wrote, “Now that it is under the control of the United States, should we change the name of the Strait of Hormuz to the Trump Strait?” He added that if it bore his name, the strait would be “hotter than ever before,” concluding his post with, “Thank you for your interest in this matter.”
Later, the White House posted a map of the Gulf on social media, labeling the waterway the “Trump Strait,” with the comment, “The name sounds nice.”
Trump has repeatedly threatened in recent weeks to assert US sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, even posting a map depicting the waterway as “new American territory.” However, he later downplayed the significance of the proposal. When asked by an AFP reporter in the Oval Office whether he was serious about the renaming, Trump laughed and replied, “I just floated the idea.”
Previous name-change initiatives appeared to begin as sarcastic remarks by the 80-year-old US president before being turned into reality. Last week, Trump signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” amid a trade war with Canada, after initially proposing the idea in a manner that seemed more like a joke. Trump had already renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” on his first day back in power in January 2025. Neither Mexico nor Canada accepted those changes.
The renaming of geographical locations is not the only instance; Trump has consistently branded institutions and initiatives with his name, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the Peace Corps, an immigration program known as the “Trump Gold Card,” and a pharmaceutical sales website called “Trump RX.”
In a related development, the US Treasury Department issued $1 coins bearing Trump’s image yesterday to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, a move that conflicts with a federal law prohibiting the depiction of a living president on US currency.
Observers view the proposal to rename the strait as another attempt to divert attention from the war with Iran, which has driven up oil prices for American consumers ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for November.
