Topline
President Donald Trump reiterated his suggestion that New Mexico should be renamed “New America” on Monday, posting seven times about the issue in the span of an hour in a Labor Day Truth Social spree—despite state leaders rejecting the idea.
President Donald Trump speaks before signing executive orders related to beef processing and cattle ranchers, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 4, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
Trump posted a series of maps showing New Mexico renamed as “New America.”
Trump on Sunday also posted an AI-generated video of himself pasting an “America” sticker over “Mexico” on a sign welcoming visitors to the state and a map with “Mexico” crossed out of the states name and replaced with “America,” which the White House reshared the image on its X account.
Discover more
FINANCE
Explore Paranormal Gear
Compare Exchange Rates
Democratic leaders in the state blasted the suggestion: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said, “New Mexico‘s name isn’t up for debate—its been ours since before the United States existed,” and accused the president of trying to “distract Americans from his disastrous war in Iran.”
Democratic Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján and Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M. also rejected any renaming, with Stansbury writing “Oh hell no!” on X, adding, “our states name carries generations of history, culture, and family—and it belongs to us,” while Heinrich wrote that he will still call Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico by their original names, despite Trump signing executive orders to rename them.
Trump does not have the authority to make the change–in New Mexico, the states title is written into its constitution and any change to the constitution must be approved by voters.
Surprising Fact
The name originated in the 16th century when Mexicans referred to the land north and west of the Rio Grande, according to the Interior Department.
Key Background
Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to change all federal references to the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” He signed an order last month to change Lake Ontario to “Lake America” amid an escalating trade war with Canada. Similar to his posts about New Mexico, days before signing the order targeting Lake Ontario, Trump posted an image of a map with Lake Ontario crossed out and an AI video of himself replacing a “Lake Ontario” sign with one that says “Lake America” and an AI video of armed Canadian geese wearing wigs resembling his hair defending the lake.
further reading
Trump Signs Executive Order Renaming ‘Lake Ontario’ As ‘Lake America’ (Forbes)
Trump ‘Directly’ Pressing Apple For ‘Lake America’ Name Change, Burgum Says (Forbes)
Discover more
Get Tarot Readings
financial
Open Trading Account
Google Maps Now Displays ‘Lake America’ After Trumps Executive Order Amid U.S.-Canada Trade War (Forbes)