Trump wants New Mexico to change its name to ‘New America.’ State leaders say it’s not happening

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Sen. Ben Ray Luján rejected Trump’s proposal, defending the state’s centuries-old name and heritage.

President Donald Trump wants New Mexico to stop being New Mexico.

CNN reported that he posted the demand to Truth Social on Monday before leaving the White House for a midterm rally in Kansas. “New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America,” he wrote. “We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!”

He offered predictions alongside the demand, claiming without evidence that home values and incomes would climb as a result. He also revived unsubstantiated assertions about election integrity in the state, suggesting a rename might make what he called crooked elections honest again.

One obstacle stands in the way regardless of the merits. Trump can rename geographic features like bodies of water through the Geographic Names Information System, but the Constitution gives him no authority over state names. Any change would have to originate within New Mexico itself.

The state’s officials made clear that is not happening. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham responded Monday evening with a short post. “Let me repeat: New Mexico was New Mexico long before the United States existed and we’ll be New Mexico forevermore,” she wrote.

The history supports her. According to a Bureau of Indian Affairs fact sheet cited by CNN, the name traces to the 16th century, predating the country’s founding.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján framed it around heritage rather than chronology, saying the name “carries generations of history, culture, and rich traditions.” He added that New Mexicans are proud of both their name and their home, and intend to keep each. “Long after Donald Trump is out of office, we’ll still be New Mexico,” he wrote.

The push is not new, only louder. Trump shared a map in September with “Mexico” struck through and “America” written beneath it, which the White House account amplified. He signed an order in August renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America” amid a trade dispute with Canada, renamed the Gulf of Mexico the previous year, and has floated calling the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait.”

The timing carries its own signal. New Mexico went blue in 2024, where Trump lost by six points, and Republicans are facing anxiety about holding congressional majorities next month.