US President Donald Trump has announced he will rename the Strait of Hormuz as the 'Trump Strait', declaring that American forces control the strategic Middle Eastern waterway despite near-daily attacks on ships in the area.
Speaking on the first night of the Republican Party's midterm convention, Trump told crowds that the US is "winning" the war in Iran and that the waterway is under American control. He assured Americans that "food prices and almost every other item are rapidly going down" and that "oil will be going down as soon as we win the war with Iran, which is taking place right now."
Announcement at Republican convention
Addressing the critical waterway, Trump said: "We're winning it. We control the Hormuz Strait. I think we should call the Hormuz Strait the 'Trump Strait'. I should get something out of it."
He then doubled down, telling the gathered crowds: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement: We'll call it the Trump Strait. I'm sure the Iranian leadership will be thrilled with that," he joked, as laughter rang out around him. Trump continued: "I'd like to tell you it was their idea. It was not their idea, don't think they're too happy about [the situation]."
Previous social media posts
Although he appeared to come up with the idea on the spot, it was not the first time Trump has floated it. Last Wednesday, on Truth Social, he wrote: "Now that we have it under USA control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be 'hotter' than ever before!"
The Strait of Hormuz was initially named after the medieval Kingdom of Hormuz in the 13th century. Trump's comments come days after he shared an AI-generated map on Truth Social showing the Star-Spangled Banner draped across the 'USA', which included Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico, and around thirty Central American and Caribbean nations as part of the United States.
International and domestic reactions
The captionless post referenced Trump's previous comments on making Canada the 51st state, his repeated musings about taking over Greenland, and more. Iceland's Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir summoned US Ambassador Billy Long to her office on Monday to "convey a clear message that the image was wholly inappropriate," as per a statement. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum all issued furious statements in response to the map.
In another social media moment, Trump suggested renaming the state of New Mexico to "New America". Prior to that, he issued an executive order demanding mapmakers change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, "effective immediately", amid his trade war with Canada. In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order to officially rename the US portion of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America".
