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Trump Suggests Renaming New Mexico “New America” in Provocative Social Media Post

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Donald Trump posted an image on Truth Social proposing that New Mexico be renamed “New America,” and the White House later reposted it on X.
  • The image crossed out “Mexico” on a map and replaced it with “America,” without explaining the post’s purpose or political motivation.
  • New Mexico officials criticized the suggestion, which came shortly after the White House promoted the renaming of Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for U.S. Google Maps users.

Donald Trump has suggested renaming the U.S. state of New Mexico “New America” in a social media post that quickly drew criticism from state officials. The president shared an image on Truth Social showing a map of the southeastern state, with “Mexico” crossed out in red and replaced by “America.”

The name of our state carries generations of history, culture and family, and it belongs to us.

· Melanie Ann StansburyThe New Mexico congresswoman criticized Trump’s suggestion on social media.

The White House later reposted the image on X but offered no explanation of its purpose or the political motivations behind it. Democratic Representative Melanie Ann Stansbury said the state’s name represented generations of history, culture and family. “We are New Mexicans. Period,” she wrote.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham also rejected the idea. “The name of New Mexico is not up for debate, it has been ours since before the United States existed,” she wrote on X. She accused the president of trying to distract Americans from what she called his disastrous war in Iran, while gasoline and other prices continued to rise.

We are New Mexicans. Period.

· Melanie Ann StansburyShe emphasized opposition to changing the state’s name.

Lujan Grisham contrasted the post with Democratic-led state programs, saying New Mexico was providing free child care and college, protecting access to health care and investing in housing. “While the White House wastes time coloring maps, New Mexico is busy doing the work,” she wrote.

The name of New Mexico is not up for debate, it has been ours since before the United States existed.

· Michelle Lujan GrishamThe governor rejected the proposal in a post on X.

Trump’s post came about a week after the White House celebrated Google Maps’ use of “Lake America” for Lake Ontario among U.S. users. White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote that the change was official. Trump had signed an executive order to rename the body of water during a trade dispute with Canada, although the change lacks international recognition and Canadian officials criticized it. Google said it changed the name for U.S. users to align with official U.S. government sources. Users in Canada continue to see “Lake Ontario,” while users elsewhere can see both names.

While the White House wastes time coloring maps, New Mexico is busy doing the work.

· Michelle Lujan GrishamShe contrasted the renaming proposal with state programs and priorities.
About this summary

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.