President Donald Trump suggested renaming the state of New Mexico as “New America” in a social media post on Sunday.
Trump shared a map of New Mexico on Truth Social. The image showed the word “Mexico” crossed out in red and replaced with “America.” The White House later reposted the image on its official X account.
In a follow-up post, Trump wrote: “People suggested changing the name of New Mexico... to NEW AMERICA. So much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially great state. I love it!!!”
The suggestion came days after Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” Earlier, he had renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
No formal executive order or official plan to change New Mexico’s name has been announced. Renaming a U.S. state would require action within the state itself and is not within the president’s unilateral authority.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham rejected the idea. She stated that “New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate” and accused the president of seeking to distract from other issues.
Other New Mexico leaders also pushed back, emphasizing the state’s historical name, which dates back to Spanish explorers in the 1500s and predates U.S. statehood in 1912.