In a message posted on Sunday, July 26, on his Truth Social platform, the US President warmly thanked King Mohammed VI for the honour bestowed upon him.
“Thank you to Highly Respected Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco — Such a Great Honor! I look forward to traveling the entire length of this Great Highway someday, hopefully soon!” Donald Trump wrote, before personally signing the message in capital letters. He accompanied his message with a video highlighting the major economic, logistical and geopolitical importance of this key infrastructure project.
The post was accompanied by a video presenting the expressway linking Tiznit to Dakhla under the name “President Donald J. Trump Highway.” The gesture carries strong symbolic significance, associating the US President’s name with one of the most emblematic infrastructure projects undertaken under the leadership of King Mohammed VI.
Stretching over 1,055 kilometres, the Tiznit-Dakhla Expressway notably passes through Guelmim, Tan-Tan and Laâyoune before reaching Dakhla. Representing an investment of more than 9 billion dirhams, it significantly improves road safety, reduces travel times and facilitates the movement of people and goods between the centre of the Kingdom and its southern provinces.
The route is also a major component of Morocco’s strategy of greater openness towards Africa. It is expected to strengthen connectivity with the future Dakhla Atlantic Port and consolidate the region’s role as an economic, logistics and maritime hub serving the African continent.
The tribute paid to Donald Trump comes amid particularly close relations between Rabat and Washington. During his first term in office, the US President formally recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara in December 2020. King Mohammed VI recently stressed that this historic decision would remain “engraved in the memory of Moroccans from generation to generation.”
In his message to Donald Trump on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of American independence, the Sovereign also emphasised that Moroccan-American relations had never been as rich and fruitful as during the US President’s two terms in office. He welcomed the growth in economic exchanges, as well as security and military cooperation that has become a “model of excellence.”
By expressing his wish to travel soon along the expressway bearing his name, Donald Trump has added a further dimension to this tribute. A potential visit to Morocco’s southern provinces would constitute a highly significant political and diplomatic gesture, building on the United States’ recognition of the Kingdom’s sovereignty over its Sahara.
