New Mexico gov pushes back on Trump floating ‘New America’: ‘The name isn’t up for debate’

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Sunday, September 6, suggested changing the name of New Mexico to “New America” in a Truth Social post, prompting a response from the state’s Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Trump accompanied his proposal with an AI-generated image depicting a New Mexico sign altered to read “New America.” The suggestion comes as Trump continues to push changes to geographic names, including the recent federal renaming of Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”

Trump proposes ‘New America’ as governor rejects idea

Trump said in his post that several people had suggested changing New Mexico’s name, while also criticizing the state over elections. “Many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico, one of the great vote cheating states of all time, to New America. So much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I Love It!!!,” Trump wrote.

Governor Lujan Grisham sharply rejected the idea in a post on X as well and defended the state’s existing name. “New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed," she wrote.

She then defended the state’s policies, adding that "while the President tries to distract Americans from his disastrous war in Iran, the price of gas, and everything else, keeps rising. Under Democratic leadership here in New Mexico, we’re providing families with free childcare and college, protecting access to health care and investing in housing. While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work.”

Trump expands geographic renaming push

Trump’s proposal comes as his administration has pursued several geographic naming changes. In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to use “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico.” He later designated February 9, 2025, as the first “Gulf of America Day.”

Trump last month also signed an executive order directing the federal government to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” The order instructs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, working with the Board on Geographic Names, to update the federal Geographic Names Information System within 30 days.

Under the order, federal maps, contracts, documents and agency communications are to use “Lake America” and remove references to “Lake Ontario.” The change applies to federal use in the United States and does not determine what Canada calls the lake. Lake Ontario borders both Canada and New York.

While announcing the Lake Ontario order, Trump also suggested that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans could eventually be renamed. “As you know, we took something called the Gulf of Mexico, we changed it, and now it's very routinely the Gulf of America,” Trump said.

“So if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now all we need is an ocean,” he continued. “So maybe we'll have to change the name of the Atlantic and or the Pacific. Maybe we'll change them both.”