ISTANBUL: US President Donald Trump has called for New Mexico to be renamed “New America”, claiming the change could boost the state’s prestige, property values and residents’ incomes.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, Trump argued that the southwestern state should adopt a name that better reflects its identity as part of the United States.
“New Mexico needs to immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!” he wrote.
Trump added that the proposed name would enhance the state’s prestige, increase property values and incomes, and give residents greater pride in the American flag.
He first proposed the idea in September, describing “New America” as a more prestigious name for the state.
However, Trump cannot unilaterally change the name of a US state, as such a move would require an amendment to New Mexico’s state constitution.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, previously rejected the proposal when Trump first raised it last month.
The latest suggestion follows other attempts by Trump to rename geographical locations. In January 2025, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to use “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico”.
In August, he signed another executive order directing federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario, which borders the United States and Canada, as “Lake America”.
Trump also raised the possibility of renaming the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean “Trump Ocean” or “Ocean of the Americas” during a rally in Tennessee on Oct 10.
-AWANI
