Trump weighs renaming Atlantic Ocean
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The gist
US President Trump said he asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to rename the Atlantic Ocean, and said he would "probably pass."
The episode follows his earlier renamings of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario on US maps.
Background
Donald Trump is the US President, who has previously pushed name changes on maps: he moved to rename the Gulf of Mexico the 'Gulf of America' in 2025 and signed an order changing Lake Ontario's name in August 2026, and Google Maps adopted the new names for US users. Sundar Pichai is Google's CEO, whom Trump has described as 'a great guy' and 'a brilliant guy'. Trump first floated renaming the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean earlier in October 2026, suggesting 'Trump Ocean' or 'Ocean of the Americas', and returned to the idea at campaign rallies ahead of the US midterm elections.
How it unfolded
- 2025Trump moved to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, triggering diplomatic tensions with Mexico and a dispute with the Associated Press over terminology.
- Aug 27, 2026Trump signed an order changing the name of Lake Ontario.
- Oct 10, 2026At a rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, Trump suggested renaming either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean 'Trump Ocean' or 'Ocean of the Americas'.
- Oct 21, 2026At a rally in South Carolina, Trump said he called Pichai about renaming the Atlantic Ocean and would 'probably pass' after Pichai told him 'Please don't ask us to do that'; he mused he could rename the Pacific 'the American Ocean' instead.
- Oct 22, 2026Multiple outlets reported the remarks, with Trump quoted as saying he would keep the Atlantic Ocean name; Google did not confirm the call took place.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Trump said he called Google about the change, quoted Pichai as declining because oceans border 'a lot of countries', and concluded 'I think let's keep it the Atlantic Ocean.'
- Caution
- Google has not confirmed the call took place and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Still unverified
Google has not confirmed the call took place; Trump 'claimed' he approached Google and that Pichai was reluctant, and Pichai 'reportedly' pushed back. Trump later said he had been joking.