On Friday, President Donald Trump humorously dubbed the Strait of Hormuz—a crucial oil-transporting channel and a significant choke point in the Iran conflict—as the “Strait of Trump.”
The president remarked that Iran must “open up the Strait of Trump—I mean, Hormuz,” during his speech at the Future Investment Initiative in Miami, amusing the audience.
“Pardon me. I apologize. What a dreadful error,” he said, pretending to be contrite before stating, “The fake news will report, ‘He mistakenly said’—No, there aren’t many mistakes with me. If there were, it would be a significant headline.”
This remark arose as the strait has grown to be a significant flashpoint in the war, which is about to enter its second month, despite the U.S. claiming it has “annihilated” Iran’s military forces.
Iran’s ongoing capability to effectively impede access to the strait—blocking the route that typically transports 20 million barrels of oil daily—has led to an unprecedented disturbance in global energy supplies and pricing.
On Monday, Trump suggested that the strait could be jointly overseen by “me and the ayatollah” as a potential solution to the conflict.
He further claimed that Iran is currently in discussions with the United States and is “desperately” seeking a deal, although Tehran has denied any direct negotiations are occurring.
The New York Post, citing unnamed sources, reported on Friday evening that Trump is mulling over the idea of taking charge of the strait and renaming it after himself or dubbing it the “Strait of America,” similar to his previous intention to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
Friday’s “Strait of Trump” comment originated from a president who has famously incorporated his name as a hallmark of his branding as a businessman and real estate mogul.
This also resonates with a Truth Social post he shared in October, in which he jokingly referred to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington using his name.
The post featured images of the renovations occurring on the building’s exterior, accompanied by a caption lauding “the new TRUMP KENNEDY, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, columns.”
In December, the White House disclosed that the Kennedy Center’s board decided to rebrand it as the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”
