Aug. 28, 2026, 5:14 p.m. ET
A brand new Fact Social submit from President Donald Trump is elevating eyebrows after it appeared to painting two Pacific island nations as U.S. territories, regardless that each are unbiased nations.
The submit provides Micronesia and the Marshall Islands to a rising record of locations Trump has mentioned bringing beneath U.S. possession, management or affect.
The White Home has not defined the submit, however it’s the newest instance of Trump’s curiosity in increasing U.S. affect past its present borders. Since returning to workplace, the president has revived calls to accumulate Greenland, floated the thought of constructing Venezuela the 51st state and urged the USA might in the future declare management of the Strait of Hormuz.
USA TODAY contacted the White Home for remark however had not acquired a response as of Aug. 28.
What’s the US relationship with Micronesia and the Marshall Islands?
The Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia could also be unbiased nations, however each have deep historic ties to the USA.
After World Battle II, the USA administered each island nations as a part of a U.N.-backed belief territory within the Pacific. The Marshall Islands gained independence in 1979, whereas Micronesia turned unbiased in 1990.
Even after independence, the nations maintained shut ties with Washington by way of what’s generally known as a Compact of Free Affiliation, or COFA.
What’s the Compact of Free Affiliation?
Beneath the agreements, the USA gives monetary help and entry to sure federal companies, whereas retaining key protection and safety obligations within the area.
In response to the Division of the Inside, the compacts give residents of the Marshall Islands and Micronesia entry to packages and companies that embody the U.S. Postal Service and Nationwide Climate Service. The agreements have additionally made the islands vital U.S. companions in a strategically important a part of the Pacific.
These longstanding ties assist clarify why the 2 nations are sometimes intently related to the USA, regardless that they’re sovereign nations relatively than U.S. territories.
From Greenland to Venezuela: Trump’s enlargement proposals
The Marshall Islands and Micronesia are usually not the primary locations to turn out to be wrapped up in Trump’s feedback about increasing U.S. territory.
Since returning to the White Home, Trump has repeatedly argued that Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory within the Arctic, is vital to U.S. nationwide safety. The president first floated the thought of buying Greenland throughout his first time period earlier than reviving the proposal after his reelection.
“We’d like Greenland for nationwide safety,” Trump mentioned in December. “You search for and down the coast, you’ve got Russian and Chinese language ships in all places. We’d like it for nationwide safety. We’ve got to have it.”
Trump has additionally turned his consideration to Venezuela. Earlier this 12 months, he mentioned he had significantly thought of making the oil-rich South American nation the 51st U.S. state. The concept gained renewed consideration following a U.S. army operation that led to the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores.
The president has since urged the USA might briefly oversee Venezuela and its oil infrastructure, including the nation to a rising record of territories and strategic places Trump has mentioned bringing beneath larger U.S. management.
With Micronesia and the Marshall Islands now showing in a submit labeled “U.S. Territories,” Trump’s newest social media message is fueling recent questions on how far these ambitions prolong.
USA TODAY’s Joey Garrison and Reuters contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending information reporter for USA TODAY. Attain him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and observe him on X @fern_cerv_.
