Trump thanks Morocco's king for naming 1,055-km Western Sahara highway after him

The naming announcement

On Sunday, Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social to thank King Mohammed VI of Morocco for naming a 1,055-kilometre highway after him. The motorway, officially the "President Donald J. Trump Highway," runs from Tiznit in southern Morocco to Dakhla on the Western Sahara coast. Trump called the gesture a "tremendous honour" and said he hoped to travel the entire length of the road soon.

“Thank you to the highly respected Mohammed VI, King of Morocco – a tremendous honour! I look forward to travelling the entire length of this Great Highway one day, hopefully soon!”

Alongside the message, Trump shared a promotional video that recalled how Morocco became the first nation to recognise the United States in 1777, and how the two countries signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship in 1786. The video describes the naming as a tribute to Trump's decision in December 2020 to recognise Western Sahara as Moroccan territory.

A 1,055-kilometre corridor from Tiznit to Dakhla

The Tiznit-Dakhla highway stretches roughly 1,000 to 1,055 kilometres, covering about 36% of Morocco's Atlantic coastline. Its construction cost around $1 billion (about 880 million euros) and began in 2015 under a royal development programme for the southern provinces. The road entered full operation in mid-2025 and now connects several coastal towns, including Laayoune, the capital of Western Sahara. At its southern end, Dakhla will link to the Atlantic Port of Dakhla, a large-scale infrastructure project expected to enter service in 2028. Moroccan officials describe the highway as one of the longest in Africa and a physical marker of the country's southern development ambitions.

A diplomatic reward for the 2020 recognition

The naming is a direct thank-you for Trump's 2020 proclamation recognising Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. That move, taken in the final weeks of his first term, broke with decades of international consensus that the territory's status should be resolved through a UN-backed referendum. The promotional video underscores the link, stating that Trump's decision ushered in a new phase for the region.

“Thanks to the historic courage of the President, the Moroccan Sahara has entered a new era of the search for peace, dialogue and prosperity.”

Trump's original recognition helped pave the way for other countries to align with Morocco's position; Spain and France later endorsed a Moroccan autonomy plan for the territory.

The Western Sahara conflict

Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, was occupied by Morocco in 1975, triggering a war with the pro-independence Polisario Front that lasted until a 1991 ceasefire. A planned self-determination referendum has never been held, stalled by disputes over voter eligibility and the inclusion of Moroccan settlers. The Polisario Front still considers Spain the de jure administering power and has called Madrid's and Paris's support for the Moroccan autonomy plan a betrayal. Despite the ceasefire, tensions persist, and the highway's route through the territory underscores Morocco's ongoing integration of the disputed area.

Morocco's Atlantic vision

Beyond the bilateral tribute, Moroccan officials frame the highway as a key piece of the Royal Atlantic Initiative, which aims to give landlocked Sahel states access to the Atlantic Ocean. The road, the video says, creates a "new continuity along Morocco's southern provinces, linking Atlantic Morocco with its natural African extension." By anchoring the corridor at the future Dakhla Atlantic Port, Rabat envisages the highway as a strategic gateway connecting Africa to global trade routes.