A new Truth Social post from President Donald Trump is raising eyebrows after it appeared to portray two Pacific island nations as U.S. territories, even though both are independent countries.
The post adds Micronesia and the Marshall Islands to a growing list of places Trump has discussed bringing under U.S. ownership, control or influence.
The White House has not explained the post, but it is the latest example of Trump’s interest in expanding U.S. influence beyond its current borders. Since returning to office, the president has revived calls to acquire Greenland, floated the idea of making Venezuela the 51st state and suggested the United States could one day claim control of the Strait of Hormuz.
USA TODAY contacted the White House for comment but had not received a response as of Aug. 28.
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What is the US relationship with Micronesia and the Marshall Islands?
The Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia may be independent countries, but both have deep historical ties to the United States.
After World War II, the United States administered both island nations as part of a U.N.-backed trust territory in the Pacific. The Marshall Islands gained independence in 1979, while Micronesia became independent in 1990.
Even after independence, the countries maintained close ties with Washington through what’s known as a Compact of Free Association, or COFA.
What is the Compact of Free Association?
Under the agreements, the United States provides financial assistance and access to certain federal services, while retaining key defense and security responsibilities in the region.
According to the Department of the Interior, the compacts give residents of the Marshall Islands and Micronesia access to programs and services that include the U.S. Postal Service and National Weather Service. The agreements have also made the islands important U.S. partners in a strategically significant part of the Pacific.
Those longstanding ties help explain why the two nations are often closely associated with the United States, even though they are sovereign countries rather than U.S. territories.
From Greenland to Venezuela: Trump’s expansion proposals
The Marshall Islands and Micronesia are not the first places to become wrapped up in Trump’s comments about expanding U.S. territory.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has repeatedly argued that Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, is critical to U.S. national security. The president first floated the idea of purchasing Greenland during his first term before reviving the proposal after his reelection.
“We need Greenland for national security,” Trump said in December. “You look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security. We have to have it.”
Trump has also turned his attention to Venezuela. Earlier this year, he said he had seriously considered making the oil-rich South American nation the 51st U.S. state. The idea gained renewed attention following a U.S. military operation that led to the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
The president has since suggested the United States could temporarily oversee Venezuela and its oil infrastructure, adding the country to a growing list of territories and strategic locations Trump has discussed bringing under greater U.S. control.
With Micronesia and the Marshall Islands now appearing in a post labeled “U.S. Territories,” Trump’s latest social media message is fueling fresh questions about how far those ambitions extend.
USA TODAY’s Joey Garrison and Reuters contributed to this report.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump has his eye on these Pacific island nations
