Donald Trump spent the Labor Day weekend in a social media frenzy, sharing AI-generated superhero depictions of himself, proposing the annexation of numerous countries and the moon, and unilaterally attempting to rename places like New Mexico and Lake Ontario, sparking diplomatic outrage.
Over the Labor Day holiday weekend, Donald Trump's Truth Social platform saw a torrent of unusual posts, including an AI-generated video portraying him as the Green Lantern superhero, wielding a glowing power ring to erect a border wall and command military forces. He has a history of using AI to depict himself as various figures, from Christ and the Pope to Atlas and Superman. During this period, Trump also shared a map with the US flag emblazoned over most of North America, Central America, Greenland, Iceland, and several Caribbean islands, leading to Iceland summoning its US ambassador over the post. He separately claimed ownership of the moon. Trump has frequently mused about annexing Canada (suggesting it become a 51st US state), Greenland (a self-governing Danish territory, sparking a geopolitical row), and other countries like Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands, and even seizing the Panama Canal. Further posts included a map of the US state of New Mexico with the word 'Mexico' crossed out and replaced with 'America,' followed by what appeared to be an AI video of him sticking an 'America' label over the word 'Mexico' on a 'Welcome to New Mexico' road sign. This came amidst tense trade negotiations with Mexico and followed an order directing federal agencies to change Lake Ontario’s name to 'Lake America' during an escalating trade war with Canada. He also joked about renaming either the Atlantic or Pacific oceans, along with the Strait of Hormuz, to 'Trump Strait.' The article highlights that Trump lacks the legal authority to unilaterally rename US states, such as New Mexico, whose name is enshrined in its constitution and would require a formal constitutional amendment, or to compel Canada, international legal bodies, or other nations to adopt new names for international bodies of water.
