Trump calls Strait of Hormuz the ‘Strait of Trump’

President Donald Trump on Friday winkingly referred to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route and a key choke point in the Iran war, as the “Trump Strait.”

In his speech at the Future Investment Initiative in Miami, the president said “Iran should open the Trump Strait, that is, the Strait of Hormuz”, causing the crowd to laugh.

“Excuse me. I’m so sorry. Such a terrible mistake,” he said, sounding mock apologetic before explaining: “The fake news will say, ‘He accidentally said that’ – No, I don’t have any accidents, not too many. If there were, we’d have a big story.”

The comment came at a time when the US was boasting about “destroying” the Iranian army, as the strait emerged as an important source of conflict in the war that is preparing to enter its second month.

Iran’s ability to effectively close the strait by blocking the route that normally carries 20 million barrels of oil per day has contributed to a historic disruption in global energy supplies and prices.

On Monday, Trump floated the possibility that the strait could be jointly controlled by “me and the Ayatollah” as part of a solution to the war.

Trump has since said Iran was negotiating with the US and “begging” to make a deal, although Tehran has denied any direct talks have taken place.

New York Post, quoting sources, reported By Friday evening, Trump was considering seizing control of the strait and naming it after himself, or calling it the “Strait of America,” as he previously tried to relabel the Gulf of Mexico.

Friday’s “Trump Strait” joke comes from a president who has made his name as a businessman and real estate mogul a central feature of his branding.

It also resonates Real Social post Starting in October, it was revealed that the president had jokingly referred to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington by using his own name.

The post included photos of renovations to the building’s exterior and boasted the caption “new TRUMP KENNEDY, wow, I mean KENNEDY CENTER, columns.”

In December, the White House announced that the Kennedy Center board had voted to change its name to “Trump-Kennedy Center.”