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Trump Highway in Morocco
U.S. President Donald Trump thanked King Mohammed VI after the highway linking Tiznit and Dakhla was renamed, calling it “a great honor” on his Truth Social account.
“Thank you to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, for this great honor.”
The Tiznit–Dakhla road runs 1,055 kilometers along the Atlantic coast, passing through the cities of Tiznit, Guelmim, Tan-Tan, Laayoune, Boujdour, and reaching Dakhla, according to the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment and Water.
The project was completed and came into full service in January 2025 after construction started in 2016 and was divided into two phases connecting Tiznit to Laayoune and Laayoune to Dakhla.
The same coverage links the expressway to Morocco’s Atlantic Royal Initiative, describing it as a key link enabling Sahel countries to access the Atlantic front and reinforcing Morocco’s southern provinces as a gateway for trade and investment between Morocco and its African deeper reach.
Buchan and Washington’s stance
U.S. ambassador to Morocco Duke Buchan praised King Mohammed VI and reiterated Washington’s support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara after the expressway was named after Donald Trump.
Buchan wrote that “the Donald J. Trump President Highway is a powerful monument to the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI,” and said the United States “remains steadfast in standing with Morocco for a Moroccan Sahara.”
The naming is also framed as part of Washington’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, with the coverage stating that the United States “has now recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara” in December 2020.
In the same thread of messaging, Trump’s gratitude to King Mohammed VI was accompanied by a video presenting the Tiznit–Dakhla expressway under its new name, “President Donald J. Trump Highway.”
Economic and diplomatic stakes
Coverage of the “Donald Trump Road” emphasizes that the expressway is set to connect to the future Dakhla Atlantic Port and is described as a strategic axis to strengthen connectivity of Morocco’s southern provinces and support economic integration with Sub-Saharan Africa.
“requiring an investment of nearly 10 billion dirhams”
One account says the expressway was commissioned in early 2025 and spans about 1,055 kilometers, requiring an investment of nearly 10 billion dirhams, while another describes the cost as about 10 billion dirhams and the project entering full service in January 2025.
The stakes are also tied to diplomacy in the southern provinces, with Mohammed bin Talha al-Dakali arguing that the opening of consulates and embassies in Laayoune or Dakhla embodies countries’ support for Morocco’s stance on the Sahara and the kingdom’s territorial unity.
In parallel, the coverage links the highway to the Atlantic Port project and to Morocco’s role in developing Sahelian countries, describing how Dakhla’s port infrastructure and surrounding logistics ecosystem are expected to draw additional consulates from African, European, and Latin American countries.
