Trump urges New Mexico to change its name to 'New America'

As part of his ongoing effort to change geographic names to fit his political agenda, former US President Donald Trump has called on the state of New Mexico to change its name to 'New America'.

Writing on Truth Social before leaving the White House for Kansas to attend a midterm election rally, Trump said: "New Mexico should immediately change its name to 'New America.' We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America." 

Trump's comments about New Mexico—a Democratic-leaning state he lost by six points in 2024—come amid Republican concerns about maintaining their congressional majority in November, especially as polls indicate voters feel the president is not addressing the nation’s most pressing issues.

Trump, without providing evidence, claimed that "home values and incomes will rise" if the name is changed. He also repeated his unfounded claims of election fraud, adding: "Maybe even the 'rigged elections' New Mexico is known for will finally be fair again!" 

Trump has previously suggested renaming New Mexico, though in less direct terms. In September, he posted a map of the state on social media with the word 'Mexico' crossed out and 'America' written underneath—a post that was reshared by the White House account on X.

This is the latest in a series of renaming efforts by Trump. In August, he signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' amid his ongoing trade dispute with Canada, and last year he attempted to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America.' Additionally, he has repeatedly floated the idea of renaming the Strait of Hormuz as the 'Trump Strait.'

It is worth noting that while the US president has the authority to change the names of geographic features such as bodies of water listed in the Geographic Names Information System, he does not have the constitutional power to legally change state names; such changes must originate within the state itself.