Donald Trump suggests renaming New Mexico 'New America'

"Many people suggest changing the name New Mexico to NEW AMERICA. It would be much more prestigious and beautiful for the inhabitants of this state, which has unimaginable potential!" - Trump wrote.

Reactions of local politicians

As reported by local station KOAT, the state's governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, stated on X that the name New Mexico "is beyond dispute" and has belonged to its inhabitants "since before the founding of the United States."

Senator Martin Heinrich also commented on the matter. He announced that there were three things that he would always call by their real names: the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ontario, and New Mexico.

House of Representatives member Melanie Stansbury responded to Trump's tweet by saying, "Absolutely not!" She emphasized that the name of the state carries the history, culture and heritage of generations.

In turn, Congressman Gabe Vasquez argued that President Trump "will not succeed in wiping out New Mexico."

The mayor of Albuquerque in this state, Tim Keller, pointed out that the state's name has carried the identity that makes this place unique for over 400 years. “We are proud New Mexicans and proud Americans,” he said.

KOAT also reported on Sunday that the New Mexico Republican Party has not yet commented on President Trump's tweet.

Donald Trump is "on the wave" of changing names in atlases

Last year, President Trump changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the American Gulf. He also restored the name of America's highest peak, Denali in Alaska, to Mt. McKinley, after his favorite president of the United States. Last month, he signed an ordinance renaming Lake Ontario Lake America. This is a reaction to the ongoing trade dispute with Canada.

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes on the border of the United States and Canada. The border between the two countries runs through its center, with the province of Ontario on one side and the state of New York on the other.

In response to Trump's decision, Google changed the name of Lake Ontario displayed in its applications in the US to Lake America. The company noted that it uses official names in individual countries.

In Poland, the names Lake Ontario and Gulf of Mexico are still used

As Justyna Kacprzak, secretary of the Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names Outside the Republic of Poland, emphasizes, the current Polish name is still Lake Ontario. The commission has not yet made a decision on a possible name change for Lake Ontario. I do not know whether this will be the subject of the next meeting planned for the turn of September and October. The current Polish name is still Lake Ontario, she said.