US President Donald Trump proposed on Sunday that New Mexico could become “New America,” adding another unlikely target to his recent push for renaming places.
The state’s governor promptly rejected the proposal, which came days after Trump signed an order to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” amid a trade dispute with neighbouring Canada.
“Many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico… to NEW AMERICA,” the Republican president posted on social media. “So much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I Love It!!!”
The White House shared an image that crossed out “Mexico” in the state’s name and replaced it with “America.”
According to some US media reports, the idea initially started as an online hoax.
The state’s governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, told Fox News that the name “isn’t up for debate – it’s been ours since before the United States existed.”
She claimed that Trump’s proposal sought to “distract Americans” from issues such as soaring petrol prices.
Amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, Trump proposed last week renaming the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait.” However, he later suggested that he did not make the proposal seriously.
On his first day back in office in 2025, Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” a move Mexico rejected.
Backstory…
Recall that just recently, Trump announced a highly controversial push to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America”, a move that came amid worsening tensions between the United States and Canada.
In August 2026, Trump signed an executive order directing US federal agencies to use “Lake America” in official maps, documents and databases.
Canada, however, rejected the change and continued to use Lake Ontario, meaning the renaming applies primarily to US government usage rather than changing the internationally recognised name.
Read Also: Trump Signs Executive Order To Rename Lake Ontario ‘Lake America’
