Trump Keeps Calling Alaska "Russia," Prompting Speculation That He Plans to Sell the State to Putin

It seems like an unlikely scenario, but many people have found themselves speculating about whether or not Donald Trump plans to sell Alaska to Russia.

The reason for the unusual theory has a lot to do with the relationship that the U.S. president has with Russia's Vladimir Putin, as well as Trump's continued push to sell pieces of the country off to the highest bidders, which has raised a lot of concern from environmentalists and career politicians alike.

However, the theory that Trump may plan to offload the northern state to the Russia may also have a lot to do with the fact that Trump misspoke several times during an August 2025 press conference, where he mistakenly referred to the state as Russia.

Could that be a hint at what the president is planning? Or is it a sign that he's confused because of a planned meeting between himself and Putin that is supposed to take place in the state? You can find out what people think below.

Trump accidentally calling Alaska "Russia" during a press conference sent the internet into conspiracy mode, with many people predicting that the slip-up is a sign that he plans to sell the state to Russia.

The incident captured the attention of Redditors, who shared their thoughts about what it meant. One person said that it was likely just confusion on Trump's part, since he is scheduled to meet with the Russian leader.

"He did say twice he was visiting Russia to talk to Putin, which was really strange," the Redditor wrote in reference to the flub. "Either he’s cognitively declining even further, or he’s already made plans to give Alaska to Putin."

While others speculated that he could potentially use the sale of the state to line his own pockets, even if that meant sacrificing access to natural resources (and republican legislators), another Redditor had a more reasonable sounding explanation.

They theorized that the location of the summit, and Trump's confusion over where they were meeting, may have been needed in order to deal with the strategic planning required to make travel possible for Putin.

"They likely picked Alaska because then Putin — who has serious warrants against him — does not have to overfly unfriendly countries. That’s it. Boring and unsexy," they wrote.

At one point, Alaska was part of the Russian Empire. According to NPR, Russia made a strategic decision to sell Alaska to the U.S. in the 19th century when the loss of the war in Crimea left the country financially devastated.

Russia walked away with $7.2 million after it sold off the state in 1867, which is how Alaska eventually became the 49th state in the union.

However, many Russians don't believe the land deal was as cut and dry as the history books make it sound. NPR says that many Russians believe the transaction was only meant as a lease, and that the U.S. should return the state to its rightful owners.

Then there are those who believe that the U.S. failed to uphold its end of the bargain, and that money is still owed to Russia as part of the transaction.

While there doesn't appear to be any proof to support that claim, it certainly does lend credence to the idea that Trump may be considering making a deal with Russia.

However, the president doesn't have the authority to sell the state on his own accord, which would make it legally impossible. Whether that would be enough to stop him from trying remains to be seen, but for now, it seems like the people of Alaska are safe.