Donald Trump proposes renaming New Mexico to New America on Truth Social

Map alteration shared on Truth Social

On Sunday, 6 September 2026, President Donald Trump shared an image on his Truth Social platform proposing a revision to the name of New Mexico. The graphic displayed a cartographic map of the state with the word "Mexico" crossed out in red ink and the word "America" written above it without an accent mark, spelling out "Nuevo America" or "New America". Shortly after the post appeared, the official White House social media account amplified the image by reposting it alongside a wide-eyes emoji. Neither Donald Trump nor White House representatives issued an accompanying statement clarifying whether the graphic was intended as a lighthearted provocation or as an announcement of an upcoming executive policy. No formal legislative bill or official executive proposal was introduced to advance a name change for the state.

Series of images and online posts

The post regarding New Mexico formed part of a broader series of graphic posts published by Trump on Truth Social during Sunday afternoon. Among these publications was an image generated with artificial intelligence depicting Trump riding on horseback alongside George Washington, the first president of the United States. Another graphic portrayed Washington seated alongside Trump inside the Oval Office. Trump also distributed an illustration featuring a soldier assigned to a fictional military branch named the American Space Force, captioned as a force conceived for outer space exploration and patrol. In another post, a map of the Middle East was modified so that the geographic borders of Iran matched the physical outline of Trump's head.

State reactions and constitutional authority

Political leaders in New Mexico reacted with public criticism on Sunday, arguing that the social media post dismissed the historical, cultural, and linguistic identity of their state. Legal specialists pointed out that the president of the United States possesses no constitutional power to change the name of an individual state unilaterally through an executive order. While presidential executive authority extends to certain federal geographical registries and internal administrative classifications, modifying the established name of a sovereign state requires formal legislative and constitutional action involving both the state legislature and the United States Congress. As of Sunday evening, no formal petition, administrative filing, or congressional bill had been submitted by the administration.

Previous geographic renaming decisions

The social media post follows several geographic and institutional renaming measures implemented since the start of Trump's second presidential administration. In late August 2026, Trump signed an executive order requiring official federal government documentation to refer to Lake Ontario, a body of water shared between the United States and Canada, as Lake America. Earlier in his second term, the administration adopted the designation Gulf of America for the Gulf of Mexico. This administrative naming focus has also affected federal designations for geographical features, bodies of water, military aircraft batches, airports, federal institutions, and cultural centers located in Washington. The name New Mexico itself originated from the Spanish term Nuevo México, which entered continuous use during the 16th century well before the United States existed. The region was formally integrated into the United States in 1848 and was officially admitted as a state in 1912.