From ‘The Moon is ours’ to ‘Hormuz is American territory’: 5 of Trump’s wildest claims of 2026

Imagine opening your phone one morning and discovering that the US president has apparently added the Moon to America’s property portfolio.

That is more or less what happened on September 6, when Donald Trump posted a picture of the Moon on Truth Social with the words “THE MOON IS OURS”, accompanied by a US flag. He offered no explanation for the post.

The Moon, however, is not exactly available for purchase.

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty says the Moon and other celestial bodies cannot be subject to national appropriation or sovereignty claims.

But the Moon is only the latest stop on what has been a rather extraordinary geopolitical tour.

From Arctic islands to strategic waterways, Caribbean nations and even the names of lakes, Trump has repeatedly made statements this year that have turned geography into something resembling a very unusual presidential to-do list.

Here are five of the most eyebrow-raising.

1. ‘The Moon is ours’: Trump apparently goes interplanetary

Let's start with the obvious one. On Sunday, September 6, Trump shared an image of the Moon with a US flag and the declaration: “THE MOON IS OURS.” No accompanying explanation was given.

If the post was intended as a serious sovereignty claim, international space law has a problem with it.

The United Nations says the Outer Space Treaty explicitly prohibits countries from claiming sovereignty over the Moon or other celestial bodies. Article II states that outer space, including the Moon, is not subject to national appropriation.

So, legally speaking, the Moon remains considerably harder to annex than, say, a piece of real estate in Florida.

Trump's post also came amid a burst of other Truth Social posts focused on Iran, oil and the strategic Kharg Island.

Which makes the timing almost as intriguing as the wording.

2. ‘I view the strait of Hormuz as an American territory’: Trump turns a waterway into territory

Before looking skyward, Trump had already been looking at one of the world's most important waterways.

In August, he floated taking control of the Strait of Hormuz, and on August 18 posted a map describing the waterway as a “new U.S. territory.” Forbes reported that the post came after Iran said the crucial shipping route would remain closed following the expiration of a negotiating period.

Trump returned to the subject again in September, suggesting that the Strait could be renamed the “Trump Strait.” Al Jazeera reported that he was also asserting that Washington was effectively in control of the waterway.

There is, of course, a rather large geographical complication.

The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman and is an international maritime chokepoint. Calling it US property does not make it US territory.

But it does make for one extraordinary addition to the 2026 Trump geography file.

3. Greenland: ‘We need it’ — and ‘we’ll do something’

Greenland has been on Trump's radar for years. In 2026, the idea became considerably more serious.

In January, Trump said the US needed Greenland “very badly” and repeatedly linked acquiring the Arctic territory to US national security. He also said the US would do something there “whether they like it or not”.

The US administration even acknowledged that using the military was among the options being discussed for acquiring Greenland, according to the Financial Times.

There is one small problem with the plan: Greenland is not an unclaimed piece of Arctic real estate.

It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with its own government and a population that has repeatedly rejected the idea of being taken over by the United States. Denmark and Greenland have also firmly opposed Trump's annexation push.

By September, the issue was still alive. Reuters reported that Denmark was deploying conscripts to Greenland amid continuing US interest in acquiring the territory.

4. ‘Lake America’: even the map got a makeover

What if you couldn't acquire a place?

You could always rename it.

Trump did exactly that with Lake Ontario.

In August, he ordered the Great Lake to be renamed “Lake America” for US federal usage. Reuters reported that the order affects the US Geographic Names Information System but does not change Canadian naming conventions or determine what the rest of the world calls the lake.

Google Maps subsequently began showing “Lake America” for users in the United States.

It is also not Trump's first geographical rename.

In January 2025, he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the “Gulf of America” for US federal use. The US Board on Geographic Names subsequently updated the federal nomenclature.

But names don't necessarily travel as neatly as presidential orders.

Canada, for example, continues to use Lake Ontario.

And a Reuters/Ipsos poll in September found that 63% of Americans opposed the Lake Ontario renaming, while only 14% supported it.

5. ‘I can do anything I want’ with Cuba

Then there was Cuba.

In March, Trump said he expected to have the “honour” of taking Cuba and told reporters he could “do anything I want” with the island.

Reuters reported that the comments came amid escalating US pressure on Cuba and discussions between Washington and Havana.

Cuba, unsurprisingly, did not interpret the statement as a casual vacation suggestion.

The Cuban government rejected foreign interference, while President Miguel Díaz-Canel insisted that any talks with Washington should be based on equality and mutual respect.

Trump later said he expected to take Cuba “in some form”, but the US military said it was not preparing for an invasion, Reuters reported.

So, once again, the distinction matters: Trump made the claim; that does not mean Cuba was actually being annexed.

Five claims. One very unusual map.

Put the five together and a curious pattern emerges.

The Moon, Greenland, the Strait of Hormuz, Cuba and Lake Ontario.

They have almost nothing in common — except that in Trump's 2026 rhetoric, all have appeared in discussions about American ownership, control, acquisition or renaming.

And the latest addition is perhaps the most ambitious of all.