President Donald Trump has floated another eye-catching name change, this time suggesting the Strait of Hormuz could bear his own name.
His suggestion about renaming the Strait of Hormuz is only the newest entry in a growing catalog of places and institutions that Trump or his allies have renamed or proposed rebranding.
In a September 2 Truth Social post, Trump proposed renaming the strategic waterway, which has been central to the conflict with Iran, to “Trump Strait,” before saying later in the Oval Office that the idea had merely been “thrown out there.”
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It follows a widening series of attempts to rename geographical features, public buildings and institutions during Trump’s second term.
Federal agencies, mapping companies and people living near the affected landmarks face different naming rules because a U.S. designation does not automatically bind states or other countries.
Key PointsLake Ontario became “Lake America” for U.S. federal purposes under an August 27 executive order, although Canada and New York rejected the change.A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 63 percent of Americans opposed the lake’s renaming, 14 percent supported it, and the remainder were unsure or did not answer.The renaming push echoes Trump’s first-day move to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”The proposals have emerged alongside disputes involving Canada and, much more seriously, Iran.Why It Matters
What began with changes to the names of a gulf and a mountain has expanded to lakes, military bases, institutions, transport infrastructure, ships and currency.
Naming disputes can seem symbolic, but official terminology flows into federal maps, contracts, databases and agency communications.
Trump’s orders have also tested the limits of presidential control when a landmark crosses an international boundary or is named by Congress.
List of Places, Things Trump Has Renamed or Floated Renaming
Trump’s expanding list mixes completed federal actions with speculative ideas and legally disputed rebrandings.
Formally RenamedLake Ontario to ‘Lake America’
Executive Order 14422 directs the Interior Department to update the Geographic Names Information System and requires federal agencies to use the new designation.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would continue calling it Lake Ontario.
Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’
Trump’s January 20, 2025, order applied the new federal name to the U.S. continental-shelf area bounded by Gulf Coast states and extending toward Mexico and Cuba.
Denali to Mount McKinley
That same order restored the federal name Mount McKinley to North America’s highest peak while leaving Denali National Park and Preserve unchanged.
Kennedy Center to Trump-Kennedy Center
Trump allies on the Kennedy Center’s board added his name to the institution, which identifies itself as the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
The move prompted a legal challenge over whether the board could alter the name of a memorial established by Congress.
United States Institute of Peace Rebranded as Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace
The Trump administration placed the president’s name on the institute’s Washington headquarters and rebranded it as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace while litigation over control of the congressionally created organization continued.
Army Installations
The administration also renamed nine Army bases in 2025, including changing Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg and Fort Moore to Fort Benning.
The other changes restored the names Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Lee, Fort Polk and Fort Rucker, while Fort Walker became Fort Anderson-Pinn-Hill.
The bases were not named after Trump, and some were assigned new namesakes rather than the Confederate figures previously honored.
Floated Or ProposedStrait of Hormuz to ‘Trump Strait’
Trump asked whether the strategic waterway should be named after him, writing that it would be “hotter” than ever.
Asked later whether he intended to pursue the idea, Trump said: “No, no … it was just thrown out there.”
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
While announcing the Lake America order, Trump said the administration might rename the Atlantic, the Pacific or both. He did not suggest replacements.
New York Penn Station to ‘Trump Station’
Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer disputed who raised the idea during talks involving federal infrastructure money, the White House said in February 2026.
The administration later urged senators to approve a Penn Station renaming without specifying a replacement in its request.
Washington Dulles International Airport
In February, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had floated putting his name on Dulles as well as Penn Station.
Official Trump-Branded Initiatives or AssetsTrump-Class Battleships
In December 2025, Trump and Navy officials announced plans for a new Trump-class of battleships.
The future USS Defiant is intended to be the first vessel, although the Navy said the program remained in the design phase and targeted construction for the early 2030s.
President Donald J. Trump $1 Coin
The U.S. Mint issued a 2026 dollar coin bearing Trump’s portrait to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Rolls and bags went on sale on September 2, with the presidential seal appearing on the reverse.
Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity
A planned transit corridor through Armenia has been named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, or TRIPP.
The United States and Armenia published an implementation framework in January 2026 for a route intended to connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave and strengthen regional trade links.
Palm Beach International Airport
Florida moved to rename Palm Beach International Airport as President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
State documents say the change is subject to FAA approval and an agreement authorizing use of Trump’s name, making it an initiative by state lawmakers rather than a presidential renaming order.
Can Trump Rename Places?
A president can direct federal agencies to use names adopted through the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and the Geographic Names Information System through an executive order, which is how Lake Ontario became “Lake America” in the federal geographic database.
Trump’s 2025 order nevertheless acknowledges that congressional action may be required when a name is established in public law.
That distinction limits the practical reach of an executive order.
Other countries, states, international organizations and private companies are not automatically required to follow federal terminology.
What Is The Response?
A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,023 adults, conducted from August 28-30, with a margin of error of 4 percentage points, 63 percent opposed renaming Lake Ontario and just 14 percent backed it.
An Economist/YouGov survey of 1,592 citizens, conducted between August 28 and 31 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent, found 68 percent disapproved, compared with 15 percent who approved.
Canada has retained Lake Ontario, while New York Governor Kathy Hochul also rejected the new designation.
On August 27, Carney wrote on social media platform X that “naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always,” while Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared it “Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever.”
On September 3, Independent U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders took aim at the Hormuz proposal, telling Trump, “You’re the President, not a mad king. Act like it,” in a social media post on X.
What Apps Have Renamed Places After Trump Changes?
Google Maps displays “Lake America” to U.S. users, “Lake Ontario” in Canada and both names elsewhere.
Apple Maps appeared to have adopted the same location-based approach after the federal database changed.
The change appeared gradually across Apple Maps. At the time of writing, some iPhone users still saw “Lake Ontario” on the map, even as selecting the lake brought up “Lake America,” while the desktop version had already adopted the new name.
Waze had not adopted the new name at the time of publication.
MapQuest responded, “we’re not changing it,” kept the Lake Ontario name, and said hundreds of thousands of downloads followed, driving usage to roughly 50 times its normal rate and lifting the service to No. 1 in the U.S. Apple App Store’s navigation category as of August 30.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Tony Phillips.