A symbolic proposal places political branding against centuries of identity.
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
US President Donald Trump has promoted the idea of renaming New Mexico as “New America,” extending his campaign to replace geographic names containing references to neighbouring countries. The suggestion appeared through maps and digitally altered material shared on Truth Social, where Trump described the proposed name as prestigious and beautiful. No formal executive order or legislative proposal accompanied the posts.
The president cannot unilaterally change the name of a state. New Mexico’s identity is established by its state constitution, meaning any alteration would require a constitutional amendment and approval from its voters. Federal authorities can standardise the terminology used by government agencies for certain geographic features, but that power does not permit the White House to rename one of the country’s 50 states.
Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham rejected the suggestion, arguing that New Mexico’s name is not open for negotiation and predates the United States itself. Democratic senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján also defended the state’s historical identity. Opposition was not limited to Democrats: Republican gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull likewise emphasised the cultural importance of the existing name.
“New Mexico” derives from the Spanish “Nuevo México,” a designation used centuries before the territory became a US state in 1912. Its history incorporates Indigenous nations, Spanish colonisation, Mexican sovereignty and eventual incorporation into the United States. Replacing the name would consequently affect more than contemporary political branding; it would attempt to recast a layered regional identity shaped long before the creation of the modern American republic.
The proposal follows Trump’s instruction that federal agencies use “Gulf of America” instead of Gulf of Mexico and his promotion of “Lake America” for Lake Ontario. Unlike the name of New Mexico, however, those designations concern geographic features for which the federal government can determine its own official terminology, even when other governments and international organisations refuse to recognise the changes.
Critics have described the New Mexico suggestion as a distraction from higher living costs, the conflict with Iran and domestic policy disputes. Supporters view Trump’s naming campaign as an expression of national pride. Yet the episode demonstrates how cultural identity can become an instrument of political communication: a proposal with little immediate legal viability can still mobilise supporters, provoke opponents and dominate public attention.
Names preserve history long after political slogans disappear.