Trump renews call to rename New Mexico as New America, claims incomes will rise

However, the US President has not offered any evidence to support his claims that a name change would raise home values and incomes.US President Donald Trump renews call to rename New Mexico as New America. (Photo: Reuters)US President Donald Trump has renewed his call to rename New Mexico as “New America”, claiming the move would increase property values, incomes and state pride. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the state should immediately change its name, arguing that it belongs to the United States and not Mexico.“New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!” Trump wrote.“The name would add great value and prestige to the State! Home Values and Incomes would rise, and you would be even prouder while saluting our beautiful American Flag!” he added.Trump also took a swipe at the state's elections, writing, “Maybe even the Crooked Elections that New Mexico is known for would become honest again!” However, the US President has not offered any evidence to support his claims that a name change would raise home values and incomes or that New Mexico's elections were dishonest, Fox News reported.The latest post revives an idea Trump floated last month, when he shared an image on Truth Social showing a map of New Mexico with the word “Mexico” crossed out and replaced with “America”. The White House amplified the post on its official X account, drawing criticism from state officials. Trump also pitched the idea during remarks at the Republican National Committee's Midterm Convention on September 9, claiming that people supported the proposed name change.“You have a neighbouring state, New Mexico. We think it should be called New America,” he said, adding, “I'll tell you, the people love the idea.”New Mexico's Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham rejected the proposal, saying the state's name was not open for debate and had existed before the United States itself.“While the White House wastes time colouring on maps, Nuevo Mxico is busy doing the work,” she said, accusing the administration of focusing on a distraction while her government worked on childcare, education, healthcare and housing.The proposal has not been accompanied by any formal process to rename the state. New Mexico's name is explicitly mentioned in Article I of its state constitution, which states, “The name of this state is New Mexico.” A US president cannot unilaterally change a state's legal name through a social media post or an executive order.Trump's latest suggestion follows his broader push to rename geographic locations. In January 2025, he ordered the US government to use “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico”. In August this year, he signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for official US use, a move that drew objections from Canadian leaders.The latest post puts New Mexico back in the spotlight as Trump continues to advocate for changes to place names in the United States.- Ends