Albuquerque: Political leaders in New Mexico have firmly rejected US President Donald Trump's recent suggestion to rename the state "New America," as reported by NBC News. The proposal, put forth in a series of social media posts by Trump, has been met with resistance from both Democratic and Republican figures in the state.
According to Anadolu Agency, Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham emphasized that New Mexico's name, which predates the United States itself, "isn't up for debate." She criticized the White House for focusing on trivial matters while the state of New Mexico, referred to as Nuevo Mexico, continues to address substantial issues. In a post on the social media platform X, she asserted, "While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo Mexico is busy doing the work."
Over the weekend and into Monday, Trump shared several images on Truth Social depicting New Mexico as "New America," including an AI-generated image of him placing a "New America" sign over a "Welcome to New Mexico" sign. In one of his posts, Trump claimed, "Many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico, one of the great vote cheating states of all time, to NEW AMERICA."
The proposal was also rejected by Democratic gubernatorial nominee Deb Haaland and her Republican opponent Gregg Hull, who stated that the state's identity "is not up for negotiation." Other political figures, including Democratic Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan, along with Representative Melanie Stansbury, expressed their disapproval of Trump's suggestion.
Senator Heinrich commented on X, writing, "Three things I will always call by their actual names . The Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ontario, New Mexico." Senator Lujan responded to Trump's proposal with a firm statement, "It's New Mexico, always has been and always will be. Just like how you'll always be a sinvergenza and corrupt," using the Spanish term for scoundrel. Representative Stansbury emphasized the cultural and historical significance of the state's name, stating, "Our state's name carries generations of history, culture, and family-and it belongs to us. We're New Mexicans. Period."
It is important to note that the president does not possess the unilateral authority to rename a US state. Any change to New Mexico's name would require voter approval through a constitutional amendment, as its name is established in the state constitution. This is not the first time Trump has proposed renaming geographic features, having previously ordered federal agencies to use new names such as renaming the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" and Denali as "Mount McKinley."