An American state, the target of Donald Trump’s renaming efforts. The American president proposes changing the name from “New Mexico” to “New America”

Donald Trump proposed renaming the U.S. state of New Mexico to “New America” in a message posted on Truth Social. The U.S. president argued that the new name would be “more prestigious and more beautiful” for the state’s residents, and praised its potential.

The proposal was immediately rejected by Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. She stated that the state’s name “is not up for debate” and has existed long before the founding of the United States. The governor accused the Trump administration of trying to distract Americans from issues such as rising gas prices.

The White House shared an image in which the word “Mexico” in the state’s name is replaced with “America”. According to the American press, the idea may have originated as an internet prank.

The initiative comes after other controversial renaming proposals. Trump supported changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” and proposed that the Strait of Hormuz be called the “Trump Strait”. He also signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America”, a measure rejected by Canada.