Google CEO Rejects Trump's Proposal To Rename Atlantic Ocean
13 hours ago
President Donald Trump says Google CEO Sundar Pichai rejected his suggestion to rename the Atlantic Ocean, despite the company's previous decisions to adopt new names for two other bodies of water.
Speaking at a campaign rally in South Carolina Wednesday, Trump told supporters he had discussed the possibility of renaming the Atlantic Ocean after himself or the United States.
The president said he contacted Pichai to ask whether Google Maps would support the proposed change.
According to Trump's account, Pichai declined the request, explaining that renaming an ocean would be more complicated than changing the names of smaller bodies of water.
Trump quoted Pichai as saying oceans are different because they span multiple countries and asking the president not to pursue the change.
The president appeared willing to abandon the idea, telling supporters he would probably leave the Atlantic Ocean's name unchanged.
Google has not publicly confirmed Trump's account of the conversation.
The remarks follow two previous geographical name changes during Trump's second term.
In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for federal government use.
He later signed another order in August 2026 renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America, a move that drew criticism from Canadian officials.
Google Maps subsequently adopted both names for users in the United States, while users in other countries continued to see different labels depending on their locations.
The changes prompted debate over the authority of individual governments to rename geographical features shared with other countries.
Unlike a lake or gulf, the Atlantic Ocean borders numerous countries across North America, South America, Europe and Africa.
While the U.S. government can establish geographical names for federal use, those decisions do not require other countries or private companies to adopt the same terminology.
During Wednesday's rally, Trump also floated the possibility of renaming the Pacific Ocean, suggesting it could be called the American Ocean.
However, no formal executive order has been announced to rename either ocean.
For now, the Atlantic Ocean will retain its longstanding name, with Trump indicating he is unlikely to pursue the proposal further.
Speaking at a campaign rally in South Carolina Wednesday, Trump told supporters he had discussed the possibility of renaming the Atlantic Ocean after himself or the United States.
The president said he contacted Pichai to ask whether Google Maps would support the proposed change.
According to Trump's account, Pichai declined the request, explaining that renaming an ocean would be more complicated than changing the names of smaller bodies of water.
Trump quoted Pichai as saying oceans are different because they span multiple countries and asking the president not to pursue the change.
The president appeared willing to abandon the idea, telling supporters he would probably leave the Atlantic Ocean's name unchanged.
Google has not publicly confirmed Trump's account of the conversation.
The remarks follow two previous geographical name changes during Trump's second term.
In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for federal government use.
He later signed another order in August 2026 renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America, a move that drew criticism from Canadian officials.
Google Maps subsequently adopted both names for users in the United States, while users in other countries continued to see different labels depending on their locations.
The changes prompted debate over the authority of individual governments to rename geographical features shared with other countries.
Unlike a lake or gulf, the Atlantic Ocean borders numerous countries across North America, South America, Europe and Africa.
While the U.S. government can establish geographical names for federal use, those decisions do not require other countries or private companies to adopt the same terminology.
During Wednesday's rally, Trump also floated the possibility of renaming the Pacific Ocean, suggesting it could be called the American Ocean.
However, no formal executive order has been announced to rename either ocean.
For now, the Atlantic Ocean will retain its longstanding name, with Trump indicating he is unlikely to pursue the proposal further.
