Trump proposes renaming New Mexico 'New America,' reigniting debate over the state's name
The proposal comes after Trump has pushed for other changes to geographical names since his return to the White House in 2025.
Donald Trump once again insisted on renaming New Mexico to New America. The president posted a message on the matter on his Truth Social account, where he emphasized that the change could benefit the state economically.
"New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America! The name would add great value and prestige to the State!" wrote the president.
"Home Values and Incomes would rise, and you would be even prouder while saluting our beautiful American Flag! Maybe even the Crooked Elections, that New Mexico is known for, would become honest again!" he added.
The proposal comes after Trump has pushed for other geographical name changes since his return to the White House in 2025. Among them are renaming the Gulf of Mexico Gulf of America, restoring the name Mount McKinley to the Alaskan mountain known as Denali, and renaming Lake Ontario 'Lake America'.
New Mexico's response
In September, the possibility of renaming the state had already sparked public outcry. At that time, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told Fox News that the state's name "is not up for debate."
The governor also criticized the president and argued that the comment was intended to distract voters ahead of the midterm elections: "What is up for debate? Who's showing up for work? (...) Families are facing higher gas and grocery prices, losing access to health care and struggling to afford a home."
Where does the name New Mexico come from?
In 1598, Juan de Oñate officially established the Spanish province of New Mexico, leading the colonizing expedition that claimed the territory in the name of the Spanish Crown. Therefore, the name predates both Mexico's independence, proclaimed in 1821, and the region's incorporation into the United States.
Following the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) formalized the cession of the territory to the United States. New Mexico became a U.S. territory in 1850 and was admitted to the Union in January 1912.
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