Trump jokes about naming Strait of Hormuz after himself, renaming Atlantic ‘American Ocean’
Key Takeaways
- Trump joked about naming the Strait of Hormuz after himself during a rally in Salina.
- The president also suggested renaming the Atlantic Ocean, citing its proximity to Washington.
- Trump claimed Google CEO Sundar Pichai urged him to abandon the idea, which he described as a joke.
The US president floated new names for two major waterways during a rally, claiming Google's chief executive urged him to stop after his earlier geographical name changes.
US President Donald Trump has joked about adding his name to the Strait of Hormuz and renaming the Atlantic Ocean the "American Ocean", months after changing the names of other geographical locations for US federal use.
Speaking at a rally in Salina on Sunday, Trump revisited his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America", saying Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had been "a little disturbed" by the move.
He then suggested that his naming ambitions could extend to other major waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz.
"I have a lake, I have a gulf. I need a river and an ocean, and maybe a strait. So I'm going to call the Hormuz Strait the Trump Strait, if you don't mind. And I think the jihadists won't have much of a problem. They'll love that," the president added.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Chile Roundup: Kast launches jobs drive, security reform faces rewrite and Argentina challenges Falklands flights
Trump also turned his attention to the Atlantic Ocean, suggesting that the name "American Ocean" would be more suitable because of its proximity to Washington compared with the Pacific.
He claimed to have contacted Google about the idea and recounted a conversation with the company's chief executive, Sundar Pichai.
"I wrote a little note to Google, what about the Atlantic Ocean? And I got a call from Sundar, the brilliant head of Google. He said, 'President, this is enough oceans, we can't do. You can't do that,'" Trump shared.
According to Trump, Pichai raised concerns about the number of countries affected by such a change.
"He said, 'Don't do it, President, please. That covers 27 different countries. You're driving me crazy.' I said, 'I was only kidding. I was only kidding,'" he continued.
The remarks followed Trump's earlier decisions to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario for US federal use.
Those changes drew objections from neighbouring Mexico and Canada.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
