Fact Check: Did Trump ask Sundar Pichai to change his name to Sundar Trump?
WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor is circulating on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump has asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to change his name to ‘Sundar Trump.’ The claim has sparked mockery and speculation among online users, who are questioning the claim’s authenticity, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: Donald Trump asked Sundar Pichai to change his name to ‘Sundar Trump’
The claim surfaced in a post on X claiming that Trump said he personally called Pichai and asked him to change his name to “Sundar Trump.” “No, I’m not doing that,” Pichai allegedly said.
The claim drew mixed reactions online, with many criticizing the president for the alleged remark and believing it to be true. Meanwhile, a few others remained skeptical, questioned the rumor's authenticity, and called for a fact-check.
Fact Check: The claim originated as satire
The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence of the president asking the Google CEO to change his surname.
There are no official statements, announcements, interviews, or social media posts from the president asking Pichai to change his surname to ‘Trump.’ There is also no evidence of Pichai declining Trump’s request.
If the claim were true, prominent news media outlets would have widely covered it, making headlines and triggering widespread debates, but a search on Google and other search engines for the claim yielded no credible results.
Moreover, the claim originated from an account called ‘Daily Noud,’ a parody account based on ‘Daily Loud,’ which describes itself in the bio as ‘fake stories.’ Hence, the claim originated as a satire made for engagement.
Trump discussed the idea of renaming the Atlantic Ocean on Google Maps
The satire was based on Trump's discussion with Pichai about the possibility of renaming the Atlantic Ocean on Google Maps.
“So we seriously looked at the Atlantic Ocean, and I called Google Maps, who were really great with the lake,” Trump told supporters at Clemson.
“And I spoke to a brilliant guy, Sundar. He heads all of Google. He’s a brilliant guy. Sergey and Sundar, totally brilliant guys,” he said, apparently referring to Google co-founder Sergey Brin. “And, you know, they’re still rattled from the Gulf.”
“And I said, Sundar, I’m thinking of the Atlantic Ocean. Can you handle it?” Trump said.
To which Pichai replied, “No, no, no. This time I’m not doing it. Oceans are different, sir. You know, they cover a lot of… They cover really a lot of countries. Please don’t ask us to do that.”
