Trump Calls for New Mexico to Be Renamed ‘New America’
10 hours ago
President Donald Trump is renewing his call for New Mexico to change its name to "New America," arguing that the change would better reflect the state's identity as part of the United States.
In a post on Truth Social Monday, Trump urged state officials to consider the change.
"New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!" Trump wrote.
The president also claimed that renaming the state would have economic benefits, suggesting that "home values and incomes would rise" as a result.
Trump did not provide evidence supporting that prediction or explain how a name change would affect property values or household incomes.
Monday's remarks were not the first time Trump has proposed renaming New Mexico. The president previously raised the idea in September.
The latest proposal follows other efforts by the Trump administration to change the names of prominent geographic locations.
In August, Trump signed an executive order directing that Lake Ontario be renamed "Lake America," a move tied to ongoing trade tensions between the United States and Canada.
The president also took similar action last year when he moved to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."
Those naming decisions have generated debate over presidential authority, geographic identity and the extent to which the federal government can change established place names.
New Mexico became the 47th state in 1912, although the name had been used for the region for centuries before statehood.
The state's name reflects its Spanish colonial history and predates the establishment of the modern nation of Mexico.
Any formal effort to rename New Mexico would face significant legal and political hurdles. Unlike federal geographic designations, changing the name of a state would require a more extensive legal process.
Trump has not announced a formal proposal or timeline for pursuing the change, and it remains unclear whether New Mexico officials intend to consider the suggestion.
In a post on Truth Social Monday, Trump urged state officials to consider the change.
"New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!" Trump wrote.
The president also claimed that renaming the state would have economic benefits, suggesting that "home values and incomes would rise" as a result.
Trump did not provide evidence supporting that prediction or explain how a name change would affect property values or household incomes.
Monday's remarks were not the first time Trump has proposed renaming New Mexico. The president previously raised the idea in September.
The latest proposal follows other efforts by the Trump administration to change the names of prominent geographic locations.
In August, Trump signed an executive order directing that Lake Ontario be renamed "Lake America," a move tied to ongoing trade tensions between the United States and Canada.
The president also took similar action last year when he moved to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."
Those naming decisions have generated debate over presidential authority, geographic identity and the extent to which the federal government can change established place names.
New Mexico became the 47th state in 1912, although the name had been used for the region for centuries before statehood.
The state's name reflects its Spanish colonial history and predates the establishment of the modern nation of Mexico.
Any formal effort to rename New Mexico would face significant legal and political hurdles. Unlike federal geographic designations, changing the name of a state would require a more extensive legal process.
Trump has not announced a formal proposal or timeline for pursuing the change, and it remains unclear whether New Mexico officials intend to consider the suggestion.
