The claim appeared in an Aug. 18, 2026, post on X account @WhiteHouse (archived here). It read:
NEW U.S. Territory
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @WhiteHouse on X.)
The screenshot is real -- Trump posted the map on his Truth Social account @realDonaldTrump on Aug. 18, 2026 (archived here). His post showed a map of the Strait of Hormuz with a circle around the area and the words, "NEW U.S. Territory." This is what the post looked like on Truth Social at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social.)
The official White House X account @WhiteHouse posted a screenshot of the message on Aug. 18, 2026, at 4:14 a.m. PDT. This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @WhiteHouse on X.)
