The key facts

  • On October 19, Trump called for renaming New Mexico to 'New America' via Truth Social
  • State Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham previously rejected the proposal
  • Renaming would require a state constitutional amendment; Trump previously proposed 'Gulf of America' and 'Lake America'

A new renaming proposal

US President Donald Trump on Monday, October 19, called for renaming the southwestern state of New Mexico to 'New America.' According to him, such a change would raise the state's prestige, real estate values, and residents' incomes. 'New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He added that the new name 'would add great value and prestige to the state,' and that residents would 'wave our beautiful American flag with greater pride.'

Legal constraints and the governor's reaction

Trump first proposed the renaming in September, calling 'New America' a more prestigious name for the landlocked southwestern territory. However, the president cannot unilaterally rename a state: doing so would require an amendment to New Mexico's constitution. Democratic state governor Michelle Lujan Grisham rejected the proposal when it was first voiced last month.

A series of renaming initiatives

The proposal continues a series of Trump's attempts to rename geographic features. In January 2025, he signed an executive order directing federal authorities to use the name 'Gulf of America' instead of the Gulf of Mexico. In August, he signed another executive order renaming Lake Ontario, which borders Canada, to 'Lake America.' At a rally in Tennessee on October 10, he also suggested renaming the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean to 'Trump Ocean' or 'Ocean of the Americas.' At a rally in Georgia on Friday, Trump said he had jokingly asked Google about renaming one of the oceans to 'Trump Ocean.'