‘The Moon is ours’: After Greenland, Panama Canal, Canada and Strait of Hormuz, Trump makes extraterrestrial claims, but international law says otherwise
· OpIndia
US President Donald Trump randomly lays claim to distant lands and islands on Truth Social quite often. However, on 6th September, Donald Trump made an extraterrestrial claim when he published an image of the Moon overlaid with the text “THE MOON IS OURS” and a US flag.
In the same flurry of posts, Trump earlier posted mock-up images of a proposed “next-generation US Space Force service dress uniform in space grey, appearing to be inspired by Starship Troopers film uniforms and “modernized for the guardians of the space domain”.
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These, however, are just social media posts at this point in time, although they are an indication of the Trump administration’s future extraterrestrial ambitions.
When Donald Trump created the Space Force in 2019 during his first term as US President, he made it clear that he would treat space as a domain for American primacy and dominance. In his second term, President Trump signed an executive order in December 2025, directing a crewed lunar landing by 2028, initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030, and deployment of nuclear reactors on the lunar surface.
These plans are in line with Trump’s broader “America First” space policy asserting commercial development, resource utilisation, and competition with China. In fact, when Trump has to justify his adventures, he conveniently says, “If not us, China will do it”.
What international law says
While Donald Trump’s idea of the US taking over the Moon sounds rhetorically amusing, it is legally impossible. Under the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed after the United Nations General Assembly discussions, to which the US is a signatory, alongside all major spacefaring countries, the Moon and other celestial bodies are not subject to national appropriation by any means.
“Outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means,” Article II of the OST states.
Article III of the UN agreement states that all exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, will be in line with international law, for maintaining international peace.
“States Parties to the Treaty shall carry on activities in the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, in accordance with international law, including the Charter of the United Nations, in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international co-operation and understanding,” it states.
Are Trump’s territorial and extraterrestrial claims about projecting strength ahead of midterm elections?
For any troubled, if not failed, political leader in power, promising territorial claims, reversing perceived historical wrongs, and exceptionalism are the greatest means to project strength. President Donald Trump’s second term in office has been all about wars he never stopped, wars he promised to secure and end but failed, and laying claims over strategically significant islands and countries, and now even the Moon.
On 6th September, Trump published an image on Truth Social that included an Iran map resembling Trump’s silhouette, indicating his victory over Iran and Tehran’s subjugation. Trump’s various posts have indicated his aspirations to take over Kharg Island and the Strait of Hormuz.
In recent months, Trump has both offered and threatened a US takeover of the strategically significant Arctic territory of Greenland. Trump has claimed that the US may seize control of the autonomous Danish territory if Denmark will not agree to a deal. This one-sided takeover bid comes even as neither Greenland nor Denmark has shown any interest in handing over their territory and autonomy to the US.
Not only Greenland, but Trump has also been pushing for a US takeover of neighbouring Canada over supposed unfavourable policy decisions by Ottawa. Trump repeatedly and insultingly calls the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney “Governor” and Canada the 51st state of the US. Trump’s interest in merging Canada into the US is growing stronger even as neither the Canadian government nor the citizens are in favour of joining the US. Trump even claimed earlier that the US was “seriously considering” naming Lake Ontario “Lake America.”
Donald Trump has also been eyeing the Panama Canal. Months after returning to power, Trump warned of reasserting US control over the canal as he accused Panama of levying “exorbitant charges” to utilise the passage and coddling China. Trump had declared, “China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn’t give it to China — we gave it to Panama — and we’re taking it back.”
Trump has also laid claim to Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. In a social media post, he shared an image labelling these sovereign Pacific island nations under “U.S. Territories.”
Donald has consistently been making ridiculous but bold territorial claims embellished with appealing visual spectacle, and portraying US activity or prospects of US presence as exclusive leadership.
Trump campaigned on tall promises of ending the Russia-Ukraine war. However, after over a year and a half into his second term, the war is raging on into its fifth year, with all mediation efforts by Trump falling flat.
In February 2026, the US joined Israel to launch an offensive against Iran in West Asia, while Trump initially described it as a short and decisive action to ‘liberate Iran’ and destroy its nuclear program; the conflict has dragged on for over six months. Trump’s Iran campaign has turned out to be a grinding conflict of strikes, counterstrikes, economic disruptions, and fragile, rather farcical ceasefires.
Neither the US has been able to overthrow the Mullah regime nor fully dismantle Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Despite inflicting severe economic blows, Tehran continues to project strength, has allies by its side, and pushes back against the US offensive, showing no signs of defeat.
While the US wanted to cripple Iran economically, Washington itself has spent over $37.5 billion in direct military costs. The Iran war has inflicted way higher economic costs on Americans. Trump is facing global and domestic criticism for his unplanned offensive against Iran and its global implications, particularly on energy supplies.
Amidst all the criticism and dwindling popularity, Trump needs something to project strength and convey to the American people that he is somehow going to make America ‘great’ and ‘invincible’ not only on this planet but even on the Moon.