President Donald Trump’s “edgy” antics have lost their luster. Once upon a time, they roiled markets and created drama in world capitals. Now many just roll their eyes.

Trump’s latest trolling effort, coming via Truth Social, is the claim that the Strait of Hormuz is “U.S. territory.”

On his withering Truth Social platform, Trump posted an image showing the Strait of Hormuz, with a circle encompassing parts of Iran, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. The caption: “New U.S. Territory.”

Truth Social (screenshot)

This has about as much credibility as his maps of annexed Canada and Greenland. In fact, given his losing war with Iran, the post is mostly a reminder of Trump’s impotence.

The war has left Iran effectively controlling the Strait, disrupting global shipping and roiling the world economy. And Trump’s much-ballyhooed ceasefire plan did nothing to solve the problem. Its vague language over control of the strait was so bad that Iran claimed the deal recognized its authority over the waterway. The agreement also promised $300 billion in reconstruction incentives if a final deal could be reached.

As one Emirati political strategist said at the time, “Iran saw the deal as a recognition it was in control. Now countries in the region are paying the price. … It’s a disaster, and we are back to square one.”

The deal was such a disaster that it looked like Trump was willing to sign anything if it let him declare victory and walk away from the mess he created.

Except he didn’t get to walk away. The ceasefire collapsed. Iran continued attacking ships. The strait remained largely closed. Oil prices surged. And now Trump is threatening to bomb Oman—an ally!—while pretending a waterway thousands of miles from the United States somehow belongs to us. 

Iran is seemingly no longer afraid of U.S. bombs. Bombs can destroy things, but they can’t control territory. And if those bombs hurt the Iranian people? What do the mullahs care? They slaughter their own people indiscriminately.

Children wade in the water with cargo ships at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on June 30.AP

Worse, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handed the Iranian regime exactly what authoritarian governments crave: an external enemy around which to rally their people.

A regime that had faced massive public demonstrations now appears to be firmly back in control, digging in for a long fight and betting it can wait out that doddering old fool in the White House. Whatever hopes existed that the Iranian people might finally rid themselves of their murderous regime are now vastly diminished.

And Trump? All he has left are words and stupid AI memes. Or, as they say in Texas, he’s all hat, no cattle.

Trolling doesn’t open the Strait of Hormuz. It doesn’t lower oil prices. It doesn’t defeat Iran. And it sure as hell doesn’t magically turn Iranian, Omani, and Emirati territory into American soil.

But here’s the funny silver lining. Just weeks ago, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, ruling that children born in the United States to undocumented or temporarily present parents are U.S. citizens under the 14th Amendment. 

So Trump might want to think through this whole “U.S. territory” thing. Because if he really wants to declare those parts of Iran, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates to be American territory, he might also be volunteering to give a whole lot of Middle Eastern babies U.S. citizenship.

Is that what MAGA really wants?

Power matters.

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