Fact Check: Is Morocco naming a highway after Trump, as he claims?
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump, in a social media post on July 26, claimed that Morocco announced it would name a highway after him. The claim was also reported by several news media outlets, drawing widespread attention online.
The announcement sparked mixed reactions and speculation, with many social media users asking for verification. Here's a closer look at Trump's claim and what has been officially confirmed so far.
Claim: Morocco plans to name a highway after Donald Trump
President Trump, through a video on his Truth Social account, announced that a highway in Morocco would be named after him.
The footage spread across several social media platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, garnering millions of views as of this writing.
The post was accompanied by a caption stating, "Thank you to Highly Respected Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco — Such a Great Honor! I look forward to traveling the entire length of this Great Highway someday, hopefully soon! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
According to the four-minute video, seemingly narrated by an AI-generated voice, the highway is more than 621 miles long. It connects Tiznit, located in southwestern Morocco, with Laayoune and Dakhla, the two biggest cities in the territory of Western Sahara.
The narration began with praise for the "visionary leadership" of Mohammed VI, the king of Morocco, and the "historic courage" of Trump before declaring that there is a "new era" in the "Moroccan Sahara."
"For two and a half centuries, friendship, trust and dialogue have bound Morocco and the United States," said the narrator, who underscored the long-standing diplomatic relations between the two countries. "And today, the President Donald J. Trump Highway is its most concrete and lasting expression."
The news was also reported by multiple media outlets, including Forbes and Bloomberg in the US, El Pais in Spain, and Hespress English in Morocco.
Fact Check: No official confirmation from the Moroccan government
Despite reports by several media outlets, each article cites one person as evidence for the claim: Trump himself. They have not provided any additional confirmation supporting the announcement.
As of this writing, the Moroccan government has not provided any information confirming Trump's announcement.
Although the highway does exist, without a statement from the Moroccan government, it is not possible to apply a rating to the claim that Morocco plans to name it after Trump.
Additionally, Trump has a history of suggesting things should or will be named after him, which on repeated occasions have not materialized.
