Trump Suggests Renaming New Mexico ‘New America,’ Governor Rejects Idea
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — WEB DESK: US President Donald Trump has suggested changing the name of the state of New Mexico to “New America,” drawing an immediate rejection from the state’s governor and extending a series of high-profile geographic renaming moves by his administration.
Trump floated the idea on social media on Sunday, September 6, saying that “many people” had suggested replacing New Mexico’s current name with “New America.”
He described the proposed name as more prestigious and attractive for the state. The White House subsequently reposted an image in which “Mexico” in the state’s name was crossed out and replaced with “America.”
The post generated immediate political reaction, but there is an important distinction: Trump has suggested the change, but he has not signed an executive order renaming New Mexico. Reporting from New Mexico noted that an earlier satirical claim that such an order had already been signed was false.
New Mexico Governor Rejects Trump’s Proposal
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham rejected the idea, defending the state’s historic identity.
She said New Mexico’s name was not open for debate and pointed out that its history predates the establishment of the United States.
Grisham also accused Trump of attempting to divert public attention from other issues, including rising gasoline prices and the ongoing US-Iran war. That claim represents the Democratic governor’s political criticism of the president rather than an independently established motive for Trump’s proposal.
Other Democratic officials in New Mexico also criticised the suggestion, according to local reporting.
New Mexico’s Name Predates US Statehood
Despite the modern political association people may make with neighbouring Mexico, the name New Mexico has deep historical roots.
The territory was known as Nuevo México during the Spanish colonial period, centuries before it became the 47th US state in 1912.
That history is central to opposition to changing the name, with state officials arguing that New Mexico’s identity reflects centuries of Hispanic, Indigenous and regional history rather than a modern naming relationship with Mexico.
Trump Has Pursued Other Geographic Name Changes
The New Mexico suggestion follows several other naming controversies involving the Trump administration.
Shortly after returning to office in January 2025, Trump ordered the US government to use “Gulf of America” instead of Gulf of Mexico. Mexico rejected the change.
More recently, Trump signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for US federal purposes amid heightened trade tensions with Canada.
Major mapping platforms subsequently adopted “Lake America” for at least some US users. Apple changed the name on the web version of Apple Maps after the executive order, following a similar move by Google Maps for users in the United States.
The Lake Ontario decision has also proved unpopular with many Americans. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published September 1 found a majority opposed Trump’s move to rename the lake, alongside opposition to his latest Canadian tariffs.
Trump Also Floated ‘Trump Strait’
Trump last week suggested another dramatic geographic change — renaming the Strait of Hormuz as “Trump Strait” during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Hours later, however, he indicated that he was not necessarily serious about the proposal.
The distinction between these episodes is important. The Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario changes involved formal US government action, while the New Mexico-to-New America proposal remains a suggestion made on social media at the latest check.
Changing the official name of a US state would also raise significantly different legal and political questions from changing the terminology used by federal agencies for geographic features.
For now, the state remains officially New Mexico, and its governor has made clear that her administration strongly opposes Trump’s proposed alternative.
