WATCH: US President calls it ‘Trump Channel’, then says it wasn’t an accident

President of the United States Donald Trump On Friday, he winkingly referred to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route and a key chokepoint in Iran’s war, as the “Strait of Hormuz.”Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Miami, Trump said, “Iran must ‘open up the Trump Strait, I mean the Strait of Hormuz,'” eliciting laughter from the audience.He went on to say, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It was a terrible mistake,” before adding, “The fake news will say, ‘He accidentally said,’ no, I didn’t have any accidents, not too much. If there had been, we would have had a big story.”The comments come as the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping channel, has become the center of ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The waterway typically carries nearly 20 million barrels of oil per day, making it one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.Iran’s ability to disrupt or block access to the strait has led to significant swings in global energy supplies and prices. The conflict is approaching its second month despite US claims to have “eliminated” Iran’s military capabilities.Earlier this week, Trump said control of the strait could be jointly managed by “the Ayatollah and I” as part of a potential resolution. He also said Iran was negotiating with the United States and “begging” for a deal, but Tehran denied any direct talks.Separately, Axios cited a New York Post report saying Trump is considering the possibility of taking control of the strait and renaming it the “American Strait” after himself. The idea echoes his earlier attempts to relabel the Gulf of Mexico.The comments are consistent with Trump’s long-standing branding approach, in which he often uses his name in business and public enterprises. It’s also similar to an October post on Truth Social in which he jokingly referenced the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts by his own name.The Kennedy Center’s board of directors later voted to rename the institution the “Trump-Kennedy Center,” according to a White House announcement in December.