A viral trend is sweeping conservative Instagram Reels — and it’s not asking permission. Hundreds of posts with thousands of likes now openly call the United States an “empire,” comparing America’s power to that of ancient Rome and arguing it’s time to reclaim “manifest destiny.”
“Perhaps, still invade Canada. Think about it. Why not? We have the manpower. We have the arms. It’s our Manifest Destiny,” one popular video declares.
The memes aren’t just humor — they’re landing at a moment when Trump’s actual foreign policy has flirted with the same language.
Trump has repeatedly floated making Canada the 51st state, telling Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office in May 2025 that he believed in the idea. When Carney insisted his country wasn’t for sale, Trump replied “never say never,” Reuters reported.
Relations remain strained more than a year later, with Ottawa deepening ties with Europe amid an escalating trade dispute with Washington.
On Greenland, Trump reiterated at the NATO summit in July that the strategically located Arctic island should be under U.S. control rather than Denmark’s. Greenlandic and Danish leaders have repeatedly rejected the idea — but Denmark has since sent conscripts to Greenland and poured additional resources into Arctic defense, according to Reuters.
The most dramatic backdrop is Iran, where the United States has been fighting since Trump ordered Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28. The conflict has stretched into a seventh month, with U.S. forces continuing to hit Iranian targets while Iran has struck American forces and disrupted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump took the imperial comparisons a step further Sept. 13 when he floated keeping an American presence in Iran and benefiting from its oil after the war, explicitly comparing the possibility to Washington’s arrangement in Venezuela, Reuters reported.
“Iran knows that. And they’ve been put on notice: if you fuck around with us, if you do something bad to us, we are going to do things to you that have never been done before.”
Trump made that threat during an Oct. 9, 2020 interview with Rush Limbaugh. Now young conservatives are turning it into empire-building content.
Trump with the original FAFO threat to Iran on Rush Limbaugh (2020):
‘If you fuck around with us… we are going to do things to you that have never been done before.’ 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸@realDonaldTrumppic.twitter.com/RQh3RpXPGz— what.i.meme.to.say (@whatimemetosay) March 1, 2026
“The American Empire, For Americans,” one Instagram video says while playing the audio from Trump’s statement.
In Venezuela, American power moved well beyond rhetoric. U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during Operation Absolute Resolve on Jan. 3. Trump said the United States was “going to run the country” until Washington could oversee a “safe, proper, and judicious transition,” according to the White House.
The Rome comparisons keep coming.
“Rome never fell. It just changed flags,” another post states while showcasing U.S. military flyovers at sporting events, SpaceX launches, and the Grand Canyon.
One post puts it this way: “Red, White and Eternal. The New Rome. Rome was not merely a city. It was an order. Law before chaos. Duty before comfort. Citizenship tied to responsibility. Power justified by structure … The United States inherited that mantle in a different age. Not through marble and legions, but through constitution, industry, and reach. In less than 250 years, America achieved what Rome took centuries to build.”
“I wish the Romans could see this,” one video says while displaying a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flyover at a football game. “Where Caesar claimed power, America gave it to the people. Where empires rose and fell, the United States still stands, blessed by the grace of Christ.”
Conservative influencer Tony Vanderhoef sums up the movement.
“America is an empire,” Vanderhoef argues on video. “An empire is a dominant power that enforces global order. It secures trade routes. It sets financial rules. It projects military power. And it shapes who governs where. For better or for worse… That’s the United States … The real question isn’t whether America is an empire. The real question is: Can it sustain one?”
Young conservatives aren’t asking for permission anymore. They’re making the case for American power — and they’re doing it with memes, military flyovers, and Trump soundbites.
