Trump Floats Renaming the Strait of Hormuz "TRUMP STRAIT" on Truth Social — Then Says Hours Later "I Was Just Throwing That Out" — as Sanders Tells Him "You're the President, Not a Mad King"

September 2, 2026

On September 2, 2026, hours after a wave of US Central Command strikes on roughly 100 IRGC targets and Iranian retaliation against bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, President Trump posted on Truth Social: "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!" Asked about it in the Oval Office later the same afternoon, Trump backed off the idea, saying he had just been throwing it out. The White House's official X account nonetheless posted a map showing a Trump-branded Strait of Hormuz and said the name had "a nice ring to it." The post landed three weeks after Trump said he would declare the strait US territory when the Iran war ends, and days after he signed an order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" during the trade fight with Canada — a renaming a Reuters/Ipsos poll found 63% of Americans opposed. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer both told Trump to drop the renaming and focus on fuel prices and ending the war.