By Dennis Leskovec | Hawaii News Hoku Contributor

Cue the outrage machine — President Trump dares to adjust a map label, and suddenly it’s a global emergency. This week, headlines are aflame over Trump’s reported plan to officially refer to the “Persian Gulf” as the “Arabian Gulf” during his trip to Saudi Arabia. Critics from Tehran to Twitter are calling it “hostile,” “ignorant,” and “historically inaccurate.” But let’s cut through the fog: this isn’t a geography quiz. It’s geopolitical chess.

For decades, Arab states — including key U.S. partners like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar — have used the term “Arabian Gulf.” This isn’t new. What is new is having a U.S. president willing to call it what our allies already do — and in doing so, signal that the era of catering to Iranian sensitivities is over.

The left and legacy media are already foaming at the mouth about Trump “selling out history” and “appeasing oil-rich monarchies.” But here’s the part they conveniently ignore: Iran is not our friend. It’s a state sponsor of terrorism, a nuclear agitator, and a regime that’s openly hostile to U.S. interests. If a simple name change ruffles their feathers, good. That’s not a bug, that’s a feature.

And let’s not pretend the name “Persian Gulf” is somehow sacred scripture. This is the same globalist crowd that demands renaming everything from schools to military bases to historical monuments in the name of “progress.” But suddenly a body of water’s label is off-limits? Please.

The truth is, Trump’s move aligns us more closely with our strategic allies in the Gulf and demonstrates a long-overdue reality check on Iranian appeasement. It’s not “mission impossible” — it’s messaging with purpose.

And for those still clinging to their pearls over “international norms,” let’s remember: the U.S. military already uses “Arabian Gulf” in its own internal documents. Trump didn’t start this — he’s just bold enough to say it out loud.