President Trump Proposes Renaming New Mexico to New America Amid State and Local Pushback
President Trump has proposed renaming the state of New Mexico to New America through a series of social media posts. The administration announced the change via AI-generated images and text on Truth Social, depicting the president slapping a New America sign over a New Mexico sign.
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Democratic leaders in New Mexico have responded with significant pushback. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham stated that the state's name is not up for debate, noting that New Mexico existed before the United States. Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan and Representative Melanie Stansbury also expressed their rejection of the proposal, with Stansbury stating the name belongs to the people. Republican leaders in the state also dismissed the suggestion. Gubernatorial candidate Gregg Hull and congressional candidate Greg Cunningham called the proposal satire. Hull noted that the state's name carries the history of Native nations and Spanish explorers. While the president can unilaterally rename bodies of water and mountains, changing the state's name requires a constitutional amendment. Currently, every statewide office in New Mexico is held by a Democrat, making a constitutional amendment unlikely.
Sources
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New Mexicans meet Trump’s threat to change state’s name with ridicule and outrage
The Guardian
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New Mexico Democrats push back over Trump posts about renaming the state ‘New America’
NBC News