Trump Acts Again, Proposes Renaming Strait of Hormuz to 'Trump Strait'
US President Donald Trump has once again made a controversial statement amidst the ongoing conflict with Iran. Trump proposed that the Strait of Hormuz be renamed the ‘Trump Strait’ after previously claiming that the United States has gained control over the strategic waterway.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump questioned whether the name of the Strait of Hormuz should be changed now that he believes the United States has taken control of the area.
“Now that we have mastered it under US control, should we change the name of the Strait of Hormuz to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, the region will become ‘hotter’ than before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP,” Trump wrote, as reported on Friday.
When asked by reporters at the White House on Wednesday how serious his plan to rename the strait is, Trump stated that the idea was merely being floated.
The idea of renaming the Strait of Hormuz to the Trump Strait aligns with several similar moves that have emerged during Trump’s second term. Recently, his administration has been involved in several attempts at geographical renaming that have sparked controversy.
Days before proposing the name ‘Trump Strait’, Trump ordered several federal agencies to use the name ‘Lake America’ to replace the name Lake Ontario. This move revived similar debates following Trump’s previous decision to push for renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America’.
This proposal regarding the Strait of Hormuz is not the first to emerge from Trump. Earlier this year, Trump shared a map on Truth Social that displayed the Strait of Hormuz under a different name, namely the ‘Trump Strait’.
Bernie Sanders Criticises Trump’s Proposal
The proposal to rename the Strait of Hormuz has also drawn criticism from independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Sanders told Trump that the American people actually want the war with Iran to end immediately, rather than renaming the strategic waterway.
In a post on X, Sanders referred to the war as “illegal”. He also blamed the conflict for rising fuel prices, noting that diesel prices have reached US$5.69 per gallon and petrol US$4.12 per gallon.
“You are the President, not a mad king. Act like it,” Sanders wrote.