Jakarta, ThedailyID — US President Donald Trump shared a map labeling the state of New Mexico as “New America” on Sunday, September 6, 2026, days after signing an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
Trump posted the image on Truth Social before the White House reshared it through its official X account. The map crossed out the word “Mexico” in red and replaced it with “America.”
Neither Trump nor the White House provided an explanation for the post. The White House also has not announced any plan to officially rename New Mexico.
Under US law, the president can change certain geographic names recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, including names of bodies of water. However, that authority does not extend to changing the name of a state.
Renaming a state requires a process at the state level. As a result, Trump cannot legally rename New Mexico “New America” through presidential action alone.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham criticized the post and accused Trump of trying to distract the public from other issues.
“While the president tries to distract Americans from the disastrous war in Iran, gas prices continue to rise,” Grisham said in a post on X, on Monday, September 7, 2026,
“While the White House wastes time coloring maps, Nuevo México is busy doing its job,” she added.
Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich also rejected the proposed name. He said he would continue using the original names of the locations mentioned by Trump.
“Three things I will always call by their real names: the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ontario, New Mexico,” Heinrich said on X.
According to the US Bureau of Indian Affairs, the name New Mexico dates back to the 16th century, long before the United States was established.
Trump has repeatedly pushed for changes to prominent geographic names as part of his broader political messaging. In January 2025, he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the Gulf of America.
Last month, Trump also signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” He later suggested that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans could also receive new names.
“We have a gulf and a lake. Now all we need is an ocean. So maybe we should rename the Atlantic and/or Pacific. Maybe we’ll rename both,” Trump said.
