Trump Ties Iran War to Renaming Spree at Dallas GOP Convention
At a two-day GOP convention in Dallas, Trump discussed the Iran war, defended its economic cost, and floated renaming Lake Ontario, New Mexico and the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump used a two-day Republican convention in Dallas on Wednesday to defend the ongoing war with Iran and to promote a series of geographic renamings, drawing repeated cheers from the crowd.
Trump said oil prices would decline once the conflict ends. "Oil would be going down as soon as we win the war with Iran," he said, adding that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz. He then suggested the waterway should bear his name. "We'll call it the Trump Strait, and I'm sure the Iranian leadership will be thrilled with that," he said, noting that he should "get something out of it."
The president acknowledged that the war had pushed energy prices higher and unsettled financial markets, but argued the action was necessary to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. "Our stock market hit records, we were doing great and oil was low" before the war, he said. He asked the audience whether Iran should have a nuclear weapon, and the crowd responded with a resounding "no."
Trump also warned Iran against further activity, saying the United States would "have to hit them very hard" if it did not exercise restraint.
On the renaming front, Trump highlighted his executive order changing the US portion of Lake Ontario to Lake America, a move he described as a jab at Canada. He said Canada "very much wants to make a deal" and is "dying to make a deal." He also revived an idea he first floated over the weekend to rename New Mexico as New America. "The people love the idea," he said, adding that the "radical left" probably does not.
He mused about renaming the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean but said he did not think both could be done. Trump previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
The convention was intended to boost Republican prospects ahead of the midterm elections, but the president spoke at length about the war, which has weighed on his presidency since he joined Israel in striking Iran more than six months ago.