SANTA FE, N.M. — President Donald Trump has reignited controversy this week by proposing to rename the state of New Mexico to “New America,” a suggestion met with immediate and widespread opposition from residents and officials across the state.
The proposal surfaced in a series of posts on Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, where he described New Mexico as a “great vote cheating state” and suggested the new name would be “more prestigious and beautiful.” Alongside these remarks, Trump shared a digitally altered map depicting “New America” encompassing parts of Arizona and Texas.
New Mexicans quickly pushed back against the idea, emphasizing the deep historical and cultural significance embedded in the current name. The name “Nuevo México” dates back to the early 16th century—long before the founding of the United States or the modern nation of Mexico—and reflects the region’s indigenous and colonial heritage. Spanish explorers and missionaries first used the term to describe the territory nearly 500 years ago, and when New Mexico became a state in 1912, its name was formalized in the state constitution.
Rob Martinez, New Mexico’s state historian, called the proposal “never” acceptable, referencing the 1680 Pueblo Revolt against Spanish colonizers to highlight the intensity of local sentiment. “No, just no — never,” Martinez said, underscoring the seriousness with which residents regard the name as part of their identity.
Local residents described the suggestion as an erasure of their history. Randy Rodriguez, a shopkeeper who traces his lineage to Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, said the move “feels personal” and accused the president of “erasing history.” Others, like jewelry maker Elizabeth Tapia, a member of the Santo Domingo Pueblo tribe, criticized the proposed name for appearing to prioritize an Anglo-American narrative over the region’s multicultural traditions. “If you change it to New America, you’re taking away part of our culture,” she said. Another artisan, Audrey Crespin, questioned the ubiquity of “America” in place names, suggesting the new name sounded “white.”
The political response has been uniformly negative across party lines. Both Democratic and Republican candidates for governor condemned the suggestion, and some Trump supporters in the state expressed disagreement as well. Visitor Donnell Brox, from Las Vegas, called the idea “sucks” despite his support for the former president.
Experts see the renamed proposal as largely symbolic. Gabriel Sanchez, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico, characterized it as a distraction from pressing national issues such as the economy and the conflict in Iran.
Legally, the president lacks the authority to rename a state. Any change to New Mexico’s name would require approval from both chambers of the state legislature and a majority vote from residents, a political hurdle that local consensus suggests is insurmountable.
As the “Land of Enchantment” embraces its long-standing identity, the renaming proposal, according to many, has only unified New Mexicans in defense of their unique heritage.