President Donald Trump used a burst of Sunday posts on Truth Social to assert U.S. ownership of the moon and promote renaming New Mexico. He published about 40 messages over two hours that afternoon, mixing territorial claims and proposed name changes with artificial intelligence-generated imagery.
Trump’s assertion that the moon belongs to the United States appeared in a post accompanied by an American flag.
Several of Trump’s posts featured space or military themes. Shortly before his moon claim, he shared pictures of apparently AI-generated Space Force uniforms. The black outfits used a palette described through variations of gray, silver and black.
One AI image carrying a Space Force label portrayed Trump apparently directing a spacecraft as two apparent atomic explosions erupted on Earth. No identifiable locations were shown for the blasts.
International rules governing space prohibit national sovereignty claims over celestial bodies. The United States signed the Outer Space Treaty in 1967 alongside Britain and the Soviet Union, establishing that every country could freely explore and use space.
The agreement also bars countries from asserting sovereignty over outer space itself. Its restrictions on celestial bodies include bans on military installations, military maneuvers and the use of nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham promptly rejected Trump’s proposed state renaming. Speaking to Fox News, she accused Trump of trying to divert Americans’ attention from problems including rising gasoline prices.
The White House reinforced the president’s suggestion by sharing a picture in which “Mexico” was struck from the state’s name and “America” appeared in its place. The proposal followed an order Trump signed days earlier to change Lake Ontario’s name to “Lake America,” amid a trade conflict with Canada.
Other posts included AI-generated depictions of Trump alongside George Washington, images pairing the president with enormous android-like weapons, and threats of additional strikes on Iran.
