Trump Wants to Rename Something That's Not Even Near the U.S.
Donald Trump made the 'Gulf of America' so great again that he's considering implementing a similar rebrand for another body of water—this time, one thousands of miles away from U.S. territory.
The president is considering renaming the Persian Gulf the 'Arabian Gulf,' mere days after his family announced billions of dollars in forthcoming real estate deals in the region.
Those plans include a Trump-branded golf course in Qatar (as part of a $5.5 billion development project), a $1 billion Trump hotel and residence in Dubai, and a $2 billion investment by an Abu Dhabi firm into one of Trump's cryptocurrency projects, the World Liberty Financial Coin.
The family also revealed in December that they would be expanding their presence in Saudi Arabia, announcing Trump Tower Jeddah. The price tag for the building has not been made public, but one of the developers on the project, Dar Global, compared it to another $530 million Trump Tower in the city, reported Reuters.
The Trumps have held deep financial ties to the region for years. After Trump's first term, Saudi Arabia invested $2 billion in a firm belonging to Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
Trump is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia next week, where it's anticipated that he'll make the announcement publicly, according to two officials who spoke with the Associated Press.
As a reminder, it's actually unconstitutional for presidents to profit from or receive compensation from foreign governments. The White House has contested that the deals are not a conflict of interest since the president's assets are managed by his eldest sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. But Trump's pockets will undoubtedly be lined by the deal—even if he has to wait a handful of years before he's out of office to see the cashflow. In the meantime, he'll receive myriad personal benefits from his relationships in the Middle East for arranging the deal.
Seven other nations surround the body of water, including Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Persian Gulf has been the body's predominant name since the sixteenth century, but its moniker has also been regionally contested by other countries in the Middle East, where it is mainly referred to as the 'Gulf of Arabia' or 'Arabian Gulf,' according to The Daily Beast.
Referring to the inlet as the Arabian Gulf hasn't served Trump's diplomatic relations well in the past. During one such instance in 2017, former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the U.S. leader that he needed to 'study geography.'
'Everyone knew Trump's friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too,' Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online at the time.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
10 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Trump debates bombing Iran in pivotal moment for presidency
President Donald Trump faced one of the most monumental decisions of his presidency on Tuesday as he debated whether to join a war against Iran that risked sucking Washington into a new Middle Eastern conflict but also offered the chance to eliminate a rival's nuclear program. In a string of social media posts across the day, the president said that the United States has 'complete and total control of the skies over Iran,' warned Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khameini that he was an 'easy target,' and demanded 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' without defining what that would mean. As the day closed and after an 80-minute meeting with top aides in the Situation Room, he spoke to Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, a White House official said. The tough language came at a moment of extraordinary weakness for Tehran, whose power is at a low ebb following a year of Israeli attacks against its allies and proxies in the Middle East. Trump has long taken an aggressive approach toward Iran, although he also campaigned on ending global conflicts and as recently as last week continued to seek a new agreement to restrict its nuclear program. Trump's current posture could rebound in unpredictable ways. If he succeeds in wresting concessions from Iranian leaders to dismantle their nuclear program or destroys it by military force without provoking major retaliation, he could be hailed as a president whose unpredictable approach to foreign policy yields results. Mishandling the situation could pull Washington into a major war, with dangerous and unpredictable consequences for U.S. citizens. And it could also lead to a nuclear-armed Iran, if strikes fail and the government resolves to develop the nuclear weapon that it has long declared it does not seek. 'We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn't compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured 'stuff,'' Trump said Tuesday, before meeting with his advisers in the Situation Room for 80 minutes. 'Nobody does it better than the good ol' USA.' Leaders who met with Trump at a Group of Seven summit of like-minded industrial democracies in Canada on Monday said that the U.S. leader had floated the possibility of joining Israeli strikes against Iran — an extraordinary departure after months in which he had pushed for a diplomatic solution to Tehran's nuclear program, sometimes over the objections of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who accompanied Trump to Canada, was calling counterparts on Monday to discuss the situation, but told some of them that the United States did not intend to join the Israeli attack on Iran, according to three officials familiar with the calls who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk frankly about the private discussions. By Tuesday, those officials said they believed the U.S. position had changed, and that Trump was considering joining the attack. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), long one of the GOP's most vocal Iran hawks, said he spoke to Trump Monday night and believes Trump wants to help Israel to 'finish the job' in destroying the country's nuclear program, including a key facility in Fordo, south of Tehran. 'I think he's very calm, very resolved," Graham said. 'I don't think Israel can finish Fordo without our help, and it's in our interest to make sure this program is destroyed, as much as it's Israel's. And so if there's something you need to do to help Israel, do it.' Trump was supposed to remain in Canada on Tuesday, but he dashed back to Washington a day early, saying that he needed to be in Washington to monitor the situation in the Middle East. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who met with Trump in Canada, expressed gratitude on Tuesday for Israel's attack on Iran, saying that Israel was doing 'the dirty work … for all of us.' 'We are also affected by this regime,' Merz told Germany's ZDF broadcaster on the sideline of the summit. 'This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world.' While some of Iran's nuclear facilities have been attacked in recent days by Israel, the most significant is the Fordo enrichment plant, which is buried deep underground and inside a mountain. U.S. officials have said the center can be effectively attacked only with massive, 'bunker-busting' bombs, including the GBU-57, a 15-ton round known as the 'massive ordnance penetrator,' or MOP. The 20-foot-long bomb is carried by the B-2 Spirit, the bat-wing-shaped stealth bomber. The fleet is based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and previously has been deployed for global bombing runs in which they rely on aerial refueling to fly to and from targets without stopping. Should the Pentagon use other kinds of bombs to attack Iran, it could rely on an array of other aircraft, including fighter jets already in the region and B-52s. The Pentagon temporarily relocated some of these aircraft recently to Diego Garcia, an island with a joint U.S.-British military base in the Indian Ocean. Trump's claim of control over Iran's skies may be an indication that U.S. officials have assessed that most of Iran's air defense have been destroyed by Israel in recent days. Since Israel launched the attack on Iran late last week, U.S. officials have bolstered their extensive presence in the region but have repeatedly stressed that they are doing so for defensive purposes only. Trump has contradicted that messaging, however, warning Iranians in Tehran, a city of about 10 million people, that they should evacuate. While the U.S. military had not launched any strikes on Iran as of Tuesday afternoon, defense officials said, it has assisted Israel in other ways, including using Navy destroyers off the coast and fighter jets to shoot down Iranian munitions fired toward Israel. Gen. Michael 'Erik' Kurilla, the top U.S. commander overseeing operations in the Middle East, who has advocated a hawkish approach toward Tehran, told the House Armed Services Committee last week that he has presented a 'wide array of options' to Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if they choose to pursue military force against Iran. Kurilla told lawmakers that the United States 'now stands in a strategic window of opportunity to secure its national interests' in the Middle East – including preventing a nuclear-armed Iran. Most experts assess that Iran would need a week to produce enough highly enriched uranium for a bomb. But they say that it would take months, up to a year, to turn the uranium into a weapon. In Canada, while Merz backed Israel, other leaders were less outspoken or spoke in thinly-veiled disagreement. French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Canada on Tuesday that a ceasefire and ongoing negotiations were the only solution. 'I think that people are sovereign, they change their leaders by themselves and all those who have wanted in the past to change regimes through strikes or military operations have made strategic errors,' he said. Kaja Kallas, the top European Union diplomat, said that EU foreign ministers who held an emergency virtual meeting Tuesday morning were united in their call for de-escalation. 'When it comes to the United States getting involved, then it will definitely drag the region into a broader conflict, and this is in nobody's interest,' Kallas said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a telephone call Monday night, 'emphasized that it is also not in their interest to be drawn into this conflict,' she said. Elsewhere in the Middle East, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urged de-escalation and negotiations in phone calls Tuesday with both Araghchi and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. In Qatar, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said his government was one of many in the region exerting efforts to 'reach calm that spares the region the repercussions of this dangerous escalation of the Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.' Israel continued to pummel Iran Tuesday, using about 60 fighter jets to target 12 missile launch and storage sites, many in western Iran, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Effie Derfin said Tuesday night. Israel's military also claimed Tuesday to have killed Ali Shadmani, whom it described as Iran's wartime chief of staff. Israel did not present evidence of the assassination, and Iran did not immediately confirm his death. Iran's supreme leader appointed Shadmani to his position four days ago after his predecessor, Gholam Ali Rashid, was killed in Israeli attacks on Friday. Iranian media reported explosions and heavy air defense fire in Tehran and explosions in the northwestern city of Tabriz on Tuesday. Iranian civilians streamed out of the capital overnight and into Tuesday. Israeli strikes also appear to have made 'direct impacts' on the underground section of Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment site, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Tuesday, citing analysis of high resolution satellite imagery. It was the International Atomic Energy Agency's first assessment that the centrifuge halls buried deep underground may have been damaged. Iran's retaliatory barrages against Israel carried on for a fifth day, triggering Israel's air defenses on an 'hourly basis,' the military official said. The Iranian attacks have killed 24 people in Israel and injured more than 600, the Israeli government said Tuesday. Iranian authorities said that 224 people had been killed by Israeli strikes as of Sunday, the most recent figures available. They did not differentiate between military and civilian casualties. Parker reported from Cairo. Susannah George in Doha, Qatar, Ellen Francis in Brussels, Kate Brady in Berlin, Yeganeh Torbati, Joshua Yang, Lior Soroka in Tel Aviv, Abbie Cheeseman and Mohamad El Chamaa in Beirut, Annabelle Timsit in London, Evan Hill in New York, Gerry Shih in Jerusalem, Cat Zakrzewski in Calgary, Alberta, and Abigail Hauslohner, Matt Viser, Natalie Allison and Nilo Tabrizy in Washington contributed to this report.
The Hill
11 minutes ago
- The Hill
Cuban diplomat defends foreign medical missions under pressure from US
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A senior Cuban diplomat has accused the Trump administration of trying to discredit the thousands of Cuban doctors working around the world and deprive the country of an important source of income. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, who was at U.N. headquarters this week for a debate on sanctions, told The Associated Press that the U.S. is putting pressure on other countries and financial institutions to break their ties with Cuba. Cossio said over the decades Cuba has sent more than 100,000 doctors to more than 70 countries to provide much needed medical care. More than 22,000 doctors are now working in more than 50 countries, according to the government. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the program as 'forced labor.' He announced visa restrictions in late February on Cuban and foreign government officials involved in Cuba's medical missions. In June, the Trump administration imposed visa restrictions on several unidentified officials from Central America for their involvement with the Cuban program. And in a letter obtained by AP last week, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asked the 34 members of the Organization of American States for details of any agreements with Cuba for medical missions. It specifically requested information on whether the medical workers have labor and union rights, and about any labor complaints. The commission, an independent body of the OAS, which is heavily funded by the United States, said it would analyze the data and make recommendations, 'given the persistence of reports of rights violations.' The State Department said Tuesday it was pleased its action 'has prompted meaningful discussion of this exploitative labor export program after years of denial.' It said the U.S. will not stop raising these issues until Cuba curtails the 'forced labor' of its own citizens. Cossio defended the program in an interview on Monday. He said all Cuban doctors working abroad receive their regular salary, plus 'a dignified stipend.' Starting about 15 years ago, he said, Cuba began receiving compensation from wealthier countries for providing the doctors. That money covers the stipends, with the rest going to finance Cuba's public health system, he said. Cossio accused the United States of trying to discredit the medical missions, first by saying that Cuba was not sending doctors but agents to 'subvert' these counties. He said the U.S. then accused Cuba of human trafficking and put pressure on the countries that have agreements with Cuba to refuse any future medical missions. He said the U.S. wanted to stop the praise Cuba has received for sending doctors to many poor and developing countries and to deprive Cuba of a 'legitimate source of income.' Cossio said Cuba would not break its agreements. Cossio also criticized the Trump administration for reversing a U.S. policy of welcoming Cubans into the country. The administration has started cracking down on Cubans who have entered the U.S. since October 2022 on two-year permits to live and work, a Biden administration program known as humanitarian parole. President Donald Trump this month also announced additional restrictions on visitors from Cuba, among other countries. The restrictions have come as a shock to the 2.4 million Cuban-Americans. They strongly backed the Republican president in both elections and have long enjoyed a place of privilege in the U.S. immigration system.
Engadget
13 minutes ago
- Engadget
Donald Trump will delay a looming TikTok ban for a third time
President Donald Trump will, once again, give TikTok a temporary reprieve as it faces another deadline to sell itself or face a ban in the United States. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Tuesday that Trump will sign another executive order to extend the deadline. The latest extension — this time for 90 days — is now the third time Trump has punted on a looming TikTok ban since he took office in January . 'As he has said many times, President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark," Leavitt said in a statement reported by CNN . "This extension will last 90 days, which the Administration will spend working to ensure this deal is closed so that the American people can continue to use TikTok with the assurance that their data is safe and secure.' US officials are presumably still negotiating terms of a potential deal that would allow TikTok to remain operational in the United States, though there's been little news on that front since the last extension in April. A number of potential buyers are interested in acquiring TikTok's US business, but officials in China would need to sign off on any agreement. In April, several reports suggested that a deal would likely involve the company's existing US investors rolling over their stakes into a new entity. Those talks were derailed by Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports.
