Trump stirred controversy again after posting a map showing the state of New Mexico with the word "Mexico" crossed out and replaced by "America," changing the name to "New America" without any explanation.
The image was shared on Trump's Truth Social account last Sunday before the White House reposted it via its X account, showing the outline of New Mexico with the word "Mexico" crossed out in red and replaced by "America."
However, the White House has not officially announced any plans to rename New Mexico and has not provided any explanation regarding the purpose of the image.
Although the U.S. president has authority to rename certain geographic features within the federal geographic naming system, renaming a state cannot be done by presidential order alone and requires state-level legal processes. The name "New Mexico" has a long history predating the founding of the United States, tracing back to the 16th century.
This post came just days after Trump signed an order changing the name "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America" within the federal system. Earlier, in January 2025, on the first day of his second presidential term, Trump used executive power to rename the "Gulf of Mexico" as the "Gulf of America."
After the image circulated, Michelle Lujan Grisham, the Democratic governor of New Mexico, responded by accusing Trump of trying to distract the American people. She affirmed that the name New Mexico is not under debate and noted that while the White House wastes time coloring maps, New Mexico is working for its citizens.
Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich, representing New Mexico, also took a stance, stating there are three names he will always call by their proper names: Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ontario, and New Mexico.
Trump has shown ongoing interest in renaming important U.S. geographic locations, viewing it as a demonstration of presidential authority.
Besides renaming the Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" and attempting to rename Lake Ontario, Trump has mentioned the possibility of renaming the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans as well.
It remains unclear whether the "New America" map is a symbolic post or a signal of future ideas. Legally, however, the state name New Mexico remains unchanged and official.
Source:CNN
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