U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked a fresh wave of discussion on social media after appearing to claim ownership of the Moon.
In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump shared an image of the Moon alongside the U.S. flag and wrote: “The Moon is ours.”
The extraordinary claim has drawn attention because international space law explicitly prohibits countries from asserting sovereignty or ownership over the Moon and other celestial bodies.
Just minutes before posting the image of the Moon, Trump shared AI-generated images of new black uniforms for the U.S. Space Force.
He described the uniform colors as “Space Gray, Midnight Black, Silver Gray and Satin Black.” The designs feature shoulder and collar insignia, sleeve patches and belts.
The combination of the Moon post and the futuristic uniforms quickly prompted social media users to compare Trump’s imagery with the Imperial military forces from the Star Wars franchise.
One user jokingly asked why Trump would stop at the Moon, suggesting he should claim Mars—or, even better, the Sun.
What International Space Law Says
Trump’s assertion runs directly against the principles established by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which has been signed by more than 100 countries, including the United States.
The treaty states that the Moon and other celestial bodies cannot be claimed by any country through sovereignty, use, occupation or other means.
That means a unilateral declaration of ownership by any government does not create a legal claim over the Moon.
Trump’s Recent Renaming Campaign
The Moon post came amid a series of provocative statements and proposals by Trump involving the names and territorial identity of prominent geographic features.
During last week’s conflict with Iran, Trump suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait” and at one point appeared to describe the waterway as U.S. territory. Hours later, however, he indicated that he was not being serious about the proposal.
Trump subsequently suggested changing the name of the U.S. state of New Mexico to “New America.” The White House appeared to support the idea by reposting an image in which the word “Mexico” had been crossed out and replaced with “America.”
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham rejected the proposal in an interview with Fox News, saying the state’s name was not up for discussion.
She argued that New Mexico had existed under that name since before the founding of the United States and suggested that Trump was using such proposals to divert public attention from issues such as rising energy prices.
From the Gulf of America to ‘Lake America’
The New Mexico proposal followed another naming controversy involving Lake Ontario.
Amid a trade dispute with Canada, Trump signed a document proposing to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” with the announcement made from the Oval Office on Aug. 27.
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes shared by Canada and the United States. It borders Ontario province in Canada and New York state in the U.S., while Toronto sits on its northwestern shore.
The proposal drew criticism from Pierre Picard, grand chief of the Huron-Wendat First Nation, who called the initiative “disgraceful and unspeakable” and accused Trump of attempting to erase history.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also opposed the move.
Trump had already made a similar naming push in 2025, shortly after returning to the White House, announcing that the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed the “Gulf of America.” Mexico rejected the change, while Canada has also rejected the proposed renaming of Lake Ontario.
Trump as a Superhero
The White House has meanwhile embraced another form of AI-generated imagery, releasing a video depicting Trump as the DC Comics superhero Green Lantern.
The White House also posted two images accompanying the video. In one, Trump stares directly into the camera while appearing to hold a glowing green object resembling the superhero’s power ring.
The latest imagery adds another chapter to Trump’s increasingly unconventional social media presence, blending political messaging, territorial claims, renaming proposals and superhero-style visuals.
