Trump Suggests Renaming New Mexico to 'New America'

<p>President Donald Trump suggested on September 6, 2026, that New Mexico could be renamed, sharing a state map on Truth Social with "Mexico" struck through in red and "America" written beneath it, indicating an unofficial proposal for "New America."</p><p>This post followed Trump's executive order on August 27, 2026, which renamed Lake Ontario to "Lake America," a decision linked to dissatisfaction with a collapsed trade agreement with Canada. This was preceded by a similar directive renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/Jh3DHXnflT">pic.twitter.com/Jh3DHXnflT</a></p> <p>— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2096657477928448250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2026</a></p></blockquote><p>It remains unclear whether Trump's post indicates any formal policy intent, as the White House did not respond to inquiries from the Daily Wire regarding plans for a renaming effort. The image was shared alongside other unrelated posts, including one mocking actor Robert De Niro and another depicting Trump on horseback beside George Washington, suggesting the New Mexico post may be a provocation.</p><p>The idea of renaming New Mexico has circulated for several months. Fact-checkers, including Snopes, debunked a viral post claiming Trump had already signed an executive order for this renaming. Similar hoaxes or satirical posts appeared in April 2025 after the Gulf of Mexico order, leading a spokesperson for the New Mexico governor's office to label the renaming as "clearly fictitious and not grounded in any reality" in a statement to a local outlet.</p><p>Trump's previous geographic name changes have received mixed reactions. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from September 1, 2026, indicated that only 14% of Americans approved of the Lake Ontario name change, despite Google and Apple updating their U.S. map applications to reflect it.</p><p>New Mexico, which became a state in 1912, derives its name from the Spanish colonial territory of Nuevo México, which predates the modern nation of Mexico by two centuries.</p>