U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday floated the idea of renaming the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz as the “Trump Strait,” citing claimed American control of the waterway amid ongoing hostilities with Iran, before later indicating the suggestion was not serious.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be ‘hotter’ than ever before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The White House subsequently shared a map of the Gulf region on social media that labelled the waterway “Trump Strait,” accompanied by the comment: “It’s got a nice ring to it.”
The proposal came as Trump has repeatedly asserted U.S. dominance over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil trade previously passed. The waterway has been at the centre of renewed clashes between the United States and Iran.
Later on Wednesday, when asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he was serious about the name change, Trump replied: “No, no … it was just thrown out there,” while chuckling.
The suggestion follows a series of geographical renaming initiatives by the president in his second term, including the redesignation of the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”