By Afolayan Sunday
United States (US) President Donald Trump has sparked fresh international controversy by suggesting that the globally vital Strait of Hormuz be renamed the “Trump Strait”.
The proposal arrived via social media amidst an escalating military conflict between the US and Iran.
Taking to his Truth Social network, Trump argued that because the US military has heavily contested and secured parts of the vital trade lane, it should bear a new moniker.
“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!,” Trump posted.
The official White House social media channels quickly amplified the idea, sharing a mock-up map labeling the passageway “Trump Strait” with the caption, “It’s got a nice Center”
The New Diplomat reports that in recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly threatened to claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, even posting a map showing the waterway as a “new US territory.”
Trump, however, later played down the idea of rebranding the Strait of Hormuz.
“It was just thrown out there,” Trump said with a chuckle after an AFP reporter asked him in the Oval Office if he was serious about renaming it.
Recall also that last week Trump signed an order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” amid a trade war with neighboring Canada, just days after apparently raising the idea in jest.
Trump also renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” on his first day back in the White House in January 2025. Neither Mexico nor Canada has accepted the changes.
He has also gone on a spree of renaming things after himself, including the Kennedy arts center in Washington, while the US Treasury meanwhile on Wednesday issued $1 coins featuring Trump’s face to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.
