US President Donald Trump has suggested changing the name of the state of New Mexico to “New America”, extending a recent pattern of proposals to rename prominent places across the United States.
Trump made the suggestion on Sunday, prompting an immediate rejection from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
The proposal comes just days after Trump signed an order seeking to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America” amid an ongoing trade dispute with 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 subsequently shared an image depicting the word “Mexico” crossed out in the state’s name and replaced with “America”.
Some US media reports suggested that the proposal may have originated from an internet hoax.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham dismissed the idea during an interview with Fox News, insisting that the state’s name was not open for discussion.
She said the name “isn’t up for debate it’s been ours since before the United States existed.”
The governor also accused Trump of attempting to “distract Americans” from pressing issues, including rising fuel prices.
Trump’s latest suggestion follows several other controversial attempts to alter geographical names.
Last week, Trump suggested changing the name of the Strait of Hormuz to “Trump Strait” as the conflict with Iran continues, although he later appeared to indicate that he was not being entirely serious about the proposal.
Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” on his first day back in the White House in 2025, a move that Mexico rejected.
Canada has similarly opposed the attempt to rename Lake Ontario.
The proposal to rename New Mexico is therefore the latest in a series of naming initiatives by Trump that have generated political and international reactions.
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