Donald Trump Proposes Renaming New Mexico to New America

President Donald Trump proposed renaming the state of New Mexico to New America in a Truth Social post on October 19, 2026. Trump argued the rebranding would add prestige, increase home values and incomes, and potentially resolve what he described as Crooked Elections in the state, asserting that the United States is not Mexico.

New Mexico officials across the political spectrum rejected the proposal. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham stated the name is not up for debate and accused the White House of wasting time on distractions while her administration focuses on health care, education, and housing. Senator Ben Ray Luján emphasized that the state's name carries generations of history and culture that predate the United States.

Opposition to the proposal included Senator Martin Heinrich, U.S. Representatives Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez, and Republican gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull. Legal analysts noted that the president cannot unilaterally change a state's name because it is defined in the state's constitution.

This proposal follows previous executive actions by Trump to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and Lake Ontario as Lake America for federal use. The Lake Ontario renaming previously drew criticism from Canadian politicians during an ongoing trade war.