Trump Suggests Renaming New Mexico to 'New America' in Weekend Truth Social Post
President Donald Trump shared a map on Truth Social over the weekend showing New Mexico's name crossed out and replaced with "America," suggesting he might rename the state "New America," though neither he nor the White House has announced any formal action to do so. The post came alongside an AI-generated video of Trump placing an "America" sticker over a "Welcome to New Mexico" road sign, and the White House's official account reshared the map shortly after.
A Weekend of Renaming Posts
Trump's Sunday post claimed that "many people" had suggested renaming New Mexico, though he offered no further explanation in the post itself beyond the doctored map.
The White House's decision to repost the image gave it more weight than a typical presidential social media post, even though the administration has issued no executive order or directive addressing the idea, and New Mexico's official name remains unchanged.
Part of a Broader Pattern
The proposal followed a string of similar renaming efforts from the administration. Trump signed an executive order in August renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" amid escalating trade tensions with Canada, and he floated renaming the Strait of Hormuz "Trump Strait" just days before the New Mexico post.
Those moves echo his first-day executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America," which the administration has described as an effort to "restore names that honor American greatness." The pattern extends beyond geography, too, with the administration also overhauling the Kennedy Center's leadership and rebranding the U.S. Institute of Peace since Trump returned to office.
New Mexico Officials Respond
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham responded directly, saying New Mexico's name "isn't up for debate—it's been ours since before the United States existed," and suggesting Trump was trying to shift attention away from other issues facing his administration.
Deb Haaland, the former Interior Secretary now running for New Mexico governor, said in response, "You can't be serious," adding that "New Mexico is not for renaming. Not up for sale." Sen. Ben Ray Luján added that "it's New Mexico, always has been and always will be." Sen. Martin Heinrich listed off the names he intended to keep using regardless, naming "the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ontario, New Mexico." Not every reaction was critical: Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, took a lighter view, calling the name "New America" "kind of catchy."
No Formal Action Announced
New Mexico's name predates the United States itself, tracing to Spanish explorers who used the term in the late 1500s, and the state has carried it since achieving statehood on January 6, 1912. Unlike geographic features such as lakes or straits, a president cannot unilaterally rename a U.S. state through executive action, and neither Trump nor the White House has announced any formal effort to do so. For now, the proposal exists only as a social media post and an accompanying video, with no legislative or executive process behind it.
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