Trump proposes renaming New Mexico “New America”

Donald Trump has proposed replacing “Mexico” with “America” in the name of New Mexico, an idea that the state’s governor immediately rejected.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that “many people” had proposed renaming the state New America. He said the name sounded “much more prestigious and beautiful” for a state with extraordinary potential, adding that he liked the idea. The White House later reposted an image showing the word “Mexico” crossed out and replaced with “America.”

Some U.S. media outlets said the proposal may have originated as an Internet joke. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told Fox News that the state’s name “is not something up for debate” and had belonged to New Mexico before the United States was founded. She also said Trump’s proposal was intended to distract Americans from issues such as rising gasoline prices.

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Many people have proposed changing the name of New Mexico to New America. Much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of a state with extraordinary potential. Wow, I love it!

The suggestion fits a broader pattern of Trump comments and decisions involving place names. The article notes that he recently suggested calling the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait” while fighting with Iran continued, then indicated hours later that he might not have been serious.

In late August, Trump signed an order renaming Lake Ontario, the large body of water between the United States and Canada, “American Lake.” Canada does not recognize the new name. Google Maps and Apple Maps later displayed both names depending on the user’s location, with users in Canada still seeing Lake Ontario.

On his first day back in the White House in 2025, Trump also signed an order changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Mexico strongly opposed that decision.

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It is not something up for debate, it belonged to us before the United States was founded.