Trump Floats a New 'More Prestigious' Name for New Mexico
President Donald Trump posted several maps over Labor Day weekend, suggesting the state of New Mexico should be renamed New America.
The move comes after Trump signed executive orders earlier this year renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and Lake Ontario to Lake America.
The Hill reported that Trump’s original post on the subject came on Sunday after an online hoax spread saying he had signed an executive order changing the name of New Mexico.
“Many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico, one of the great vote cheating states of all time, to NEW AMERICA. So much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I Love It!!!” the president posted on Truth Social.
On Monday, he posted several maps showing the change.
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President Trump just posted this on Truth Social pic.twitter.com/DqCmhgGuKg— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) September 6, 2026
Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham responded with a social media post of her own, writing, “New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed. What is up for debate? Who’s showing up for working families.”
“While the President tries to distract Americans from his disastrous war in Iran, gas prices keep soaring,” she added.
“Under Democratic leadership here in New Mexico, we’re providing families with free childcare and college, protecting access to health care and investing in housing. While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work,” Lujan Grisham said.
New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed. What is up for debate? Who’s showing up for working families.
While the President tries to distract Americans from his disastrous war in Iran, gas prices keep soaring. Americans are… pic.twitter.com/tnX1gPItDH
— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) September 6, 2026
Trump, as president, has taken action that significantly improved New Mexico’s economy.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, oil production in the state hit an all-time high of nearly 2.4 million barrels per day in June of this year, up from when Trump first took office in January 2017 and exploration on federal lands took off.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reported in March 2025 that nearly 70 percent of oil production in the state occurs on federal lands.
The New York Times noted in April 2025 that the Trump administration opened more federal lands to drilling in New Mexico after the Biden administration tried to remove 264,000 acres from drilling.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, said in a statement at that time that it was “removing the burdensome Biden-era regulations that have stifled energy and mineral development to revitalize rural communities and reaffirm America’s role as a global energy powerhouse.”
New Mexico is now the second-largest crude producer behind Texas, with extraction accounting for nearly 20 percent of the state’s economic output.
The New Mexico Oil and Gas Association reported in March, “Last year, the oil and gas industry generated more than $13 billion in state and local revenue and supported over 100,000 jobs. Tax revenue generated by the industry funds essential services residents use every day, including $680 million to public schools, $532 million for local infrastructure, and $1.2 billion for healthcare.”
The Associated Press reported that Trump made a campaign stop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in late October 2024, in a bid to take that state from Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s win column.
Polling suggested the race was tightening in New Mexico, but the vice president ended up winning there by six percentage points: 51.9 to 45.9 percent.
Former President Joe Biden won New Mexico by nearly 11 percentage points in 2020. Hillary Clinton beat Trump by just over 8 percentage points in 2016, but former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, who was running as a Libertarian, also garnered nearly 10 percent of the vote that year.
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