Trump calls on New Mexico to become 'New America', claims 'home values and incomes would rise'

US President Donald Trump on Monday called for New Mexico to change its name to ‘New America’, marking his latest effort to rename geographical locations in line with his political messaging. “New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly before leaving the White House for a midterm election rally in Kansas.

The proposal comes as Republicans face concerns about retaining their congressional majorities in November. New Mexico, a Democratic-leaning state, voted against Trump by six percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.

Polling has hinted that some voters believe the president is not paying sufficient attention to the country's most pressing issues. Trump argued, without presenting supporting evidence, that changing the state's name would increase property values and incomes. He also repeated his unsubstantiated allegations about election irregularities. “Maybe even the Crooked Elections, that New Mexico is known for, would become honest again!” he added.

Also Read: 'Close up your borders': Trump blames immigration for France unrest, urges Macron to tighten border policies

Trump renews efforts to rename New Mexico

Monday's statement was not the first time Trump has proposed changing New Mexico's name. In September, he shared an image on social media showing the word ‘Mexico’ crossed out on a map of the state, with ‘America’ written beneath it. The White House's official account on X subsequently reposted the image. In August, Trump signed an executive order seeking to rename Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ amid an ongoing trade dispute with Canada. The previous year, he took similar action to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America’. The president has also repeatedly suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as the ‘Trump Strait’.

Can Trump legally rename New Mexico?

Although the federal government has authority over the official names of many geographical features through the Geographic Names Information System, the president cannot unilaterally change the legal name of a US state. Renaming a state would require action through the relevant state-level legal and political processes rather than a presidential order alone. New Mexico's name also has a long history predating the establishment of the United States. According to a fact sheet on state-name origins from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the name dates back to the 16th century.