President Donald Trump wants to rename the Strait of Hormuz, which the U.S. doesn’t control, after himself.
“Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be ‘hotter’ than ever before! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP,” the president posted on Truth Social Wednesday morning.
The move wouldn’t have any support beyond his fans, and it is a terrible idea due to Iran currently being able to throttle maritime traffic through the crucial narrow waterway. Trump’s executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” last week was unpopular with Canadians and many Americans, although Google and Apple decided to bow to Trump’s demand by renaming the lake on their map services.
Trump has sought to rename everything from buildings to aircraft carriers after himself in his second term as president, and even has his sights on renaming New York’s Penn Station. Florida just renamed Palm Beach’s airport after him: it’s now officially the President Donald J. Trump International Airport, complete with the code DJT.
At a time when Trump claims to want a deal with Iran, changing the strait’s name would undoubtedly hurt the prospects for peace. It’s not likely to go over well with the other countries in the region, such as Oman and the United Arab Emirates. If Trump is serious, the move is sure to invite more comparisons between him and historical dictators who also sought to rename everything.
The Trump administration is dipping its toe back in reality television.
The Small Business Administration announced Tuesday that the agency’s Million Dollar Pitch Competition would be concluded with a “live finale event” in Washington D.C. on September 18.
Five small manufacturing companies from across the country are set to go head-to-head for cuts of a $1 million prize pool furnished by Clover Network Inc., a point-of-sale and payment-processing platform. Think Shark Tank but way more boring.
The program will be presided over by a panel of Trump sycophants and scam artists, including Nicki Minaj, the rapper-singer who took a hard-right turn when her vaccine skepticism hit the MAGA mainstream; Grant Cardone, a get-rich-quick influencer accused of misleading investors; and Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb, who currently leads a group of DOGE goons running federal websites. The event will be hosted by actor Dean Cain, once Superman, now fanboy for the president.
This is the Trump administration’s second foray into reality television, after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy debuted his flop travel show last month. It’s not yet clear where the SBA’s show will “air,” but if Duffy’s project was any indication, it will be quietly dumped on YouTube and immediately forgotten.
President Donald Trump’s latest grift appears to be selling $1 coins for more than $2 apiece.
Beginning at noon Wednesday, the U.S. Mint is selling $1 commemorative gold coins emblazoned with Trump’s face on its website for the country’s 250th anniversary—for the low, low prices of $61 for 25 coins or 100 coins for $154.50. Interest from Trump supporters appears to be so high that an online waiting room was set up.
Among the minted coins are 250,000 coins pressed on July 4 that carry a “July 4” privy mark, according to a U.S. Mint press release. The coins feature Trump’s official White House portrait, a move that should be illegal under the Presidential $1 Coin Act, which states that no coin shall “bear the image of a living former or current President” until at least two years after their death.
The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 also states that living people can’t appear on the back of a coin, but the Trump administration claims that the act allows the president to create memorial coins celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
The coins aren’t even made of gold but have a “gold-like finish,” according to the Treasury Department. That won’t matter to Trump supporters, who shell out their cash for anything that the president sells, from gaudy golden sneakers to Trump-branded Bibles made in China. He’s also sold unsightly watches and overpriced fragrances bearing his name.
