Trump shares New Mexico map after making a striking change

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump appeared to extend his recent geographic renaming spree to New Mexico on Sunday, September 6, posting a map that crossed out “Mexico” and replaced it with “America.”

The Truth Social image effectively labeled the state “America,” but Trump did not explain the post or announce a formal plan to change its name.

The post came days after Trump’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America,” continuing a string of recent geographic name changes.

Trump's New Mexico post offers no formal renaming plan

Trump posted the map of New Mexico on Truth Social, with the state’s name visually altered so “Mexico” was marked with a large red X and replaced by “America.”

It remained unclear whether the president has any concrete plans to rename the state. 

New Mexico became the 47th state to join the Union in 1912.

Minutes after the New Mexico post, Trump shared another cryptic geographic message: a picture of the moon emblazoned with the words, “The moon is ours.”

The posts followed Trump’s August 27 announcement from the Oval Office that he had officially filed paperwork to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America.”

The lake sits on the border between the United States and Canada and shares its name with the Canadian province of Ontario.

Lake Ontario name change drew criticism

The earlier lake renaming has already prompted direct criticism, including from Grand Chief Pierre Picard of the Huron-Wendat First Nation.

Picard described the decision as “abhorrent and unspeakable” and said the name Ontario represents “history, culture, and identity” for the nation. He also accused Trump of trying to “eradicate our history.”

“Outraged, appalled, shocked: there are no other words to describe how I feel following President Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario 'Lake America,'” Picard wrote.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney also criticized Trump’s executive order on Thursday in an X post, writing, “The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.’”

Trump previously changed another geographic name

Trump’s Lake Ontario action followed his earlier decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America during his second term, a move that also generated headlines and pushback from critics.

The Lake America dispute also became part of Trump’s broader messaging toward Canada. 

On August 30, he wrote that he did not want Canadian products unless companies moved their operations to the United States.

“I don’t want Canadian cars, I don’t want Canadian parts, I don’t want Canadian anything,” Trump wrote.

Trump also posted a video of machine gun-wielding Canadian geese, which he called “Donald Ducks,” appearing to patrol the lake on his behalf. 

He later shared an AI clip showing himself kicking over a “Lake Ontario” sign and replacing it with a “Lake America” sign before dancing to “YMCA.”

Google and Apple changed the lake’s name for US users on their map apps, while a Reuters/Ipsos poll found 14% of Americans supported the change.

Trump’s official store also began selling $55 hats bearing the “Lake America” name.