President Donald Trump sparked a fresh political firestorm over the holiday weekend after repeatedly floating the idea of renaming New Mexico “New America,” drawing an angry response from the state’s Democratic leadership.
Trump posted several maps on Truth Social showing New Mexico relabeled as “New America,” doubling down on the idea with multiple posts Monday.
The president said Sunday that supporters had suggested the change and made clear he liked the proposal.
“So much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I Love It!!!”
One image showed “Mexico” crossed out from the state’s name and replaced with “America,” while another AI-generated video depicted Trump changing a New Mexico sign himself.
The White House also amplified one of the images on its official social media account.
The proposal quickly set off New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who insisted the state’s historic name was not going anywhere.
“It’s been ours since before the United States existed,” the governor said. “What is up for debate? Who’s showing up for working families. While the President tries to distract Americans from his disastrous war in Iran, gas prices keep soaring. Americans are also spending more at the grocery store, losing access to health care and wondering if they’ll ever be able to afford a home.”
🔥 LMFAO! President Trump drops this gem and says New Mexico, a “vote cheating state,” could be renamed to NEW AMERICA
“Many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico, one of the great vote cheating states of all time, to NEW AMERICA. So much more prestigious and… pic.twitter.com/RcOBnJEmVP
— Trumpusa1 (@Trumpusa1A1) September 8, 2026
She then touted policies pursued by Democrats in her state while mocking the White House over Trump’s map posts.
“Under Democratic leadership here in New Mexico, we’re providing families with free childcare and college, protecting access to health care and investing in housing. While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work,” the governor stated.
Donald Trump‘s latest proposal follows his previous efforts to put a more explicitly American stamp on geographic names.
His administration changed the federal government’s usage of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and Trump recently moved to refer to Lake Ontario as Lake America.
President Trump unleashed an avalanche of social media posts over the weekend including multiple posts calling to rename the state of New Mexico to “New America.” @jayobtv reports. pic.twitter.com/Ah3EdmzpIU
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 8, 2026
But changing the name of an actual state is a different legal matter.
The New Mexico Constitution explicitly states that “The name of this state is New Mexico,” meaning Trump cannot simply rename it through an executive order.
New Mexico officially joined the Union on Jan. 6, 1912, after Congress approved legislation allowing the territory to form a state government and constitution.
The social media barrage also drew responses from both of New Mexico’s Democratic senators.
“Three things I will always call by their actual names… The Gulf of Mexico Lake Ontario New Mexico,” Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico stated in a post on X.
Sen. Ben Ray Luján was even more pointed.
“It’s New Mexico, always has been and always will be. Just like how you’ll always be a sinvergüenza and corrupt.”
Trump’s posts were part of a broader social media spree over the Labor Day weekend that included numerous memes, maps and images involving American territory and geographic names.
For now, “New America” remains a proposal promoted by Trump rather than an official state name, with New Mexico’s Democratic leaders making clear they have no intention of embracing the idea.
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