New Mexico Officials Reject Trump Truth Social Post Proposing to Rename the State 'New America'
Key Takeaways
- •Trump posted a Truth Social image proposing to rename New Mexico as "New America," which the White House X account reposted, but no executive order renaming the state has been signed.
- •The claim that Trump had signed such an executive order originated from a satirical post that Snopes debunked.
- •Trump previously signed executive orders renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America and the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, the latter under Executive Order 14172 from January 2025.
- •New Mexico's name dates to 16th-century Spanish explorers who called the region "Nuevo México," long before it became the 47th state in 1912.
- •The state's Democratic officials, including both U.S. senators, two House members, and the governor, publicly rejected the proposed renaming.
Democratic elected officials in New Mexico swiftly denounced a Sunday post on Truth Social by President Donald Trump that visually proposed changing the state's name to New America.
The president's post came in response to a satirical post that inaccurately claimed he had signed an executive order to that effect — a claim the fact-checking site Snopes quickly debunked.
The satirical post itself followed Trump's renaming, by executive order, of Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico to Lake America and the Gulf of America, respectively (White House; Executive Order 14172). Executive Order 14172, signed in January 2025, directed federal agencies to adopt the Gulf of America name in official usage, a change that drew pushback from some news organizations and mapmakers over how to label the body of water.
While Trump has not signed an executive order renaming New Mexico, he did post a map showing the word "Mexico" crossed out in the state's name and replaced by "America" on Truth Social, a post the official White House X account reposted.
Trump subsequently wrote on Truth Social: "Many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico, one of the great vote cheating states of all time, to NEW AMERICA. So much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I Love It!!!"
New Mexico's Democratic officials did not share the sentiment. The state's name long predates American sovereignty — Spanish explorers applied "Nuevo México" to the region in the 16th century, centuries before New Mexico joined the Union as the 47th state in 1912.
"Three things I will always call by their actual names," U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) wrote on social media: "The Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ontario, New Mexico."
"It's New Mexico, always has been and always will be," U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) wrote. "Just like how you'll always be a sinvergüenza and corrupt."
"Oh hell no," wrote U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, who represents the state's 1st Congressional District. "Our state's name carries generations of history, culture, and family — and it belongs to us. We're New Mexicans. Period."
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, of the 2nd Congressional District, said in a statement: "You don't get to erase New Mexico. Not our name. Not our history. Not our culture."
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, in a social media post, said the state's name "isn't up for debate — it's been ours since before the United States existed. What is up for debate? Who's showing up for working families."
