What territories and places has Trump sought to claim or rename?

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated territorial ambitions, asserted US control over strategic waterways and sought to rename geographic features and public assets since returning to office for a second non-consecutive term.

Some of his proposals involve acquiring territory or expanding US control, while others concern changing names used by the federal government. In several cases, the moves have prompted questions about what authority a US president has to alter names or claim territory.

Here is what is known about Trump's territorial ambitions and renaming efforts.

Strait of Hormuz

Trump has described the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international waterway linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, as "an American territory right now".

He has argued that a US military blockade of Iran gives Washington effective control over passage through the strait, saying, "No ships get through unless we want them to".

Trump also posted a map on social media that labelled the waterway as a "new US territory".

The comments represent a claim of US control rather than a documented transfer of sovereignty to the United States.

Greenland

Trump has repeatedly advocated acquiring Greenland, the autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, arguing that greater US control would strengthen Washington's position in the Arctic.

After facing opposition to the proposal, including from Denmark and Greenland, Trump backed away from threats of military force and tariffs. He has instead pursued negotiations with European allies over a framework that would establish US sovereign claims to pockets of Greenlandic territory.

The northernmost US military installation on Greenland, Pituffik Space Base, was formerly known as Thule Air Base and has been under the command of the US Space Force since 2020. The sources do not attribute that name change to Trump.

Panama Canal

At the beginning of his second term, Trump said he wanted the United States to regain control of the Panama Canal.

The United States formally transferred control of the canal to Panama in 1999 under agreements negotiated decades earlier.

Trump's proposal therefore represents an ambition to restore US control over an asset that is now under Panamanian sovereignty, rather than a completed territorial transfer.

Canada

Trump has also repeatedly floated the idea of Canada becoming part of the United States as the "fifty-first US state".

The proposal has not resulted in any change to Canada's status, and Canada remains a sovereign country.

Lake Ontario and other geographic names

Trump has also used executive action to change geographic names used by the US federal government.

In August 2026, he signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America". Trump has also suggested he could seek to rename the Atlantic and/or Pacific oceans.

On his first day back in the White House, Trump issued an order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" for federal purposes.

He also restored the federal name of North America's highest mountain in Alaska to "Mount McKinley", reversing the 2015 restoration of its Native Alaskan name, Denali, by President Barack Obama.

The administration has said federal agencies should use the new names. Map services operated by Google and Apple have also updated their displays accordingly.

But the administration has acknowledged that formally changing names established in public law requires congressional action.

Government buildings and programmes

Trump's administration has also renamed numerous government programmes and buildings after the president himself.

Separately, a planned monument in Washington, DC, has been referred to as the "Trump arch". The National Park Service supports the planned monument, although it has drawn scrutiny over its potential impact on views of other landmarks.

Yosemite National Park

The administration is also pushing to transfer a parcel of land inside Yosemite National Park to a private developer.

Unlike the renaming measures, this proposal concerns the disposition of public land rather than a territorial claim over another sovereign country or international waterway.

What has Trump actually renamed or acquired?

The measures and proposals fall into several distinct categories.

Trump has sought to change the names used by the federal government for geographic features, including the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario, while restoring the federal name Mount McKinley for Alaska's highest peak.

Other ambitions - including acquiring Greenland, regaining control of the Panama Canal and making Canada the "fifty-first US state" - remain proposals rather than completed territorial acquisitions.

His declaration that the Strait of Hormuz is "an American territory right now" is likewise an assertion of control rather than evidence that the waterway has become US territory.

With inputs from Business Insider, The Guardian, and Council of Foreign Relations.