Donald Trump is once again suggesting renaming New Mexico as “New America,” and, once again, the idea is being greeted with brutal mockery.
The president took to his Truth Social platform on Monday to declare that “New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has suggested changing the state’s name.
Last month, he suggested the name change on Truth Social, claiming it was “so much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I love it!!!”
He shared an AI video of himself changing the name, dancing to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” and also posted a photo of a New Mexico map with the name change to “New America.”
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham doesn’t seem too interested in changing the name of her state.
“This tired New America bit again?” she told JS. “You have to ask — what policy failure is Trump trying to distract Americans from this time?”
“New Mexico was New Mexico long before the United States existed and we’ll be New Mexico forevermore,” she said before ending her comment with “¡Viva Nuevo Mexico!”
In September, Lujan Grisham objected to Trump’s first attempt at a name change with a similar sentiment: “New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed.”
She’s right. In fact, New Mexico’s state capital is the oldest in the U.S., and with an origin date of 1610, it predates the U.S.
Other New Mexico lawmakers weren’t pleased either.
Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (no relation to the governor) wrote on social media: “We are New Mexicans. We’re proud of our name, proud of our home, and we’re keeping both. Long after Donald Trump is out of office, we’ll still be New Mexico.”
Deb Haaland, former interior secretary and current New Mexico Democratic gubernatorial candidate, also objected to Trump’s request.
Other people had thoughts about the potential name change as well.
Trump’s “New America” name change is just his latest attempt to jingoistically rename long-established geographical entities.
In August, he declared that Lake Ontario should be called “Lake America,” and in May 2025, he renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”