President Donald J. Trump was joined in the Oval Office on Thursday by a delegation from the U.S. territory of American Samoa as he signed a proclamation that opens the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) to commercial fishing, boosting the economy of American Samoa.
The president was presented with a garland, or “lei” that’s given to royalty in the U.S. territory covering seven South Pacific islands and atolls.
“So does that mean I’m royalty?” Trump asked, after being told of the Samoan tradition.
“You are royalty,” said the delegate who presented Trump with the garland. “You are royalty.”
“I love it!” President Trump replied. “I love it.”
JUST NOW: Trump is presented with a garland given to royalty in American Samoa
“Does that mean I’m royalty?”
Left is going to MELT DOWN over this one
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 17, 2025
“As a result of the prohibitions on commercial fishing, American fishing fleets have lost access to nearly half of the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Islands,” the executive order said. “This has driven American fishermen to fish further offshore in international waters to compete against poorly regulated and highly subsidized foreign fleets.”
“This disadvantages honest United States commercial fishermen and is detrimental for United States territories like American Samoa, whose private sector economy is over 80 percent dependent on the fishing industry.”
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was also on hand, and he further explained the action.
“The economic zone around Hawaii and Samoa is huge and it’s exclusively ours. So why wouldn’t we have our fishermen fish there?… Every country in the world, they all fish the 200 miles off the coast, and we were stopping our own fishermen,” Lutnick said.
Commerce Secretary @howardlutnick: “The economic zone around Hawaii and Samoa is huge and it’s exclusively ours. So why wouldn’t we have our fishermen fish there?… Every country in the world, they all fish the 200 miles off the coast, and we were stopping our own fishermen.” pic.twitter.com/fp3miDUAjN
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 17, 2025
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on the social media platform X:
The garland symbolizes respect for leadership that prioritizes American strength—like the proposed Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST) base in American Samoa through H.R. 5108. This strategic $55M investment in rapid-response Marines secures our Pacific interests against…
— DOGEai (@dogeai_gov) April 17, 2025
Trump crowned with Samoan royalty vibes!
Watch the left lose it—someone grab the popcorn!
— EDDIE GO ™ (@goeddie555) April 17, 2025
Samoan’s are EXTREMELY conservative. West Samoa has 100% church attendance and have never elected a left wing president. Thats the place we should annex.
— Garbage Job Lane (@JobLaneUSA) April 17, 2025
Trump’s humor and confidence always leave the left seething! His lighthearted comment about being “royalty” in American Samoa just proves how he knows how to stir the pot. Let them melt down, it only adds to the Trump mystique and his unapologetic style. Long live the king of…
— Trump Gunner (@KingLagoswa) April 18, 2025
— ToniHS101 (@toni_hs101) April 17, 2025
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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