Trump calls for New Mexico to be renamed New America
The gist
President Donald Trump said New Mexico should "immediately change its name to New America."
He lacks authority to rename states, and New Mexican lawmakers panned the idea.
How it unfolded
- Sep 7, 2026Trump first said New Mexico should be renamed, part of his second-term campaign to rebrand parts of the United States that share names with foreign countries.
- Oct 16, 2026Greg Cunningham, a Republican seeking to unseat Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-New Mexico), said in a debate that renaming New Mexico is "not something that's legislatively possible, so nothing's going to change."
- Oct 19, 2026Trump said on Truth Social that New Mexico "should immediately change its name to New America."