Trump Posts Map Suggesting New Mexico Be Renamed as ‘New America’
The suggestion, posted on social media, appeared to be the latest in the president’s efforts to alter geographic names.
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Trump Floats Renaming New Mexico as ‘New America,’ Prompting Pushback
The suggestion, posted on social media, appeared to be the latest in the president’s efforts to alter geographic names.
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· 3:53 min
Sept. 7, 2026Updated 9:26 a.m. ET
President Trump appeared to suggest on Sunday that New Mexico should be renamed “New America,” prompting swift backlash from the state’s Democratic leaders over his latest effort to put an American stamp on geographic names.
On social media, Mr. Trump shared an image of a map of New Mexico with the word “Mexico” crossed out with a red X and replaced with “America.” The White House re-shared the image shortly after on its official X account.
The president posted again several hours later, with what appeared to be an A.I. video of him placing a label with the word “America” over “Mexico” on a “Welcome to New Mexico” road sign.
Mr. Trump has no legal authority to rename any state, which in New Mexico’s case is written into its Constitution. Any proposed change would have to originate within the state, a prospect that New Mexico’s Democratic leaders rejected forcefully on Sunday.
“New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wrote on social media.
Representative Melanie Stansbury was more blunt: “Oh hell no!” she wrote on X, adding, “Our state’s name carries generations of history, culture, and family — and it belongs to us.”
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Originally published by nytimes.com. Syndicated material does not necessarily reflect the views of Glamour Canada.
