Trump’s latest renaming-attempt gets declined – and now he blames Google CEO

Donald Trump has never been particularly modest about putting America’s name on the map.

Throughout his presidency, the 80-year-old Republican has repeatedly demonstrated an interest in changing familiar geographical names, arguing that American landmarks deserve labels reflecting the country’s national identity.

His enthusiasm has already extended to some of North America’s most recognizable bodies of water, with Google Maps becoming an important part of the story.

But Trump’s latest idea was considerably more ambitious. And according to the president himself, even the head of Google thought he was going a little too far.

During a Wednesday campaign rally in South Carolina, Trump revealed that he had considered renaming the Atlantic Ocean, only to encounter resistance from Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Trump wanted to put his stamp on an entire ocean

Speaking at the rally in support of Senate candidate Darline Graham, Trump explained that his geographical ambitions were far from exhausted.

“We have a lake, we have a gulf. Now we need a river, and we need an ocean,” the president told the crowd.

Trump was referring to his administration’s earlier efforts to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and Lake Ontario as Lake America.

Google Maps subsequently adjusted its labels for American users to reflect those naming decisions.

Encouraged by the changes, Trump said he began considering an even larger target.

The Atlantic Ocean was apparently next on his list. According to the president, he seriously explored whether the ocean could be renamed to reflect either America or himself.

There was, however, a practical complication.

Changing the name of an ocean used by numerous countries is a rather different proposition from changing a label on a domestic map.

Google’s CEO reportedly told Trump to stop

Trump told supporters that he personally approached Sundar Pichai about the possibility.

The president praised the Google executive before recounting their alleged conversation.

“We seriously looked at the Atlantic Ocean,” Trump said.

“And I called Google Maps, who are really great with the lake… and I spoke to a brilliant guy, Sundar, he heads all of Google, he’s a brilliant guy… you know, they’re still rattled from the Gulf. I said, ‘Sundar, I’m thinking of the Atlantic Ocean. Can you handle it?’”

According to Trump’s account, Pichai was considerably less enthusiastic than the president.

“No, no, no, this time I’m not doing it,” Trump quoted the Google CEO as saying.

The executive allegedly continued:

“Oceans are different, sir… Please don’t ask us to do that.”

Trump then acknowledged that he might abandon the idea.

“So I’ll probably pass,” he told the audience.

The conversation has been described by Trump, but Pichai’s alleged remarks have not been independently confirmed in the account.

The Pacific Ocean was apparently another candidate

Trump’s interest in renaming the world’s oceans did not end with the Atlantic. During the same appearance, he also suggested that the Pacific Ocean could receive a distinctly American makeover.

The president floated the name “American Ocean” before wondering how Europeans might respond.

“How do you think Europe would feel? Do you think they’d like that?” he asked.

The geographical detail is worth noting.

Unlike the Atlantic, the Pacific Ocean does not border Europe. Instead, it stretches between the Americas and Asia and Australia.

Regardless of the intended audience for the proposed name, the suggestion demonstrated that Trump was willing to consider changes to some of the most established geographical labels on Earth.

New Mexico has also caught the president’s attention

The president’s fascination with renaming places has extended well beyond oceans and lakes. Last week, Trump suggested changing the name of New Mexico to “New America.”

Writing on Truth Social, he argued that the change could have significant benefits for the state.

“The name would add great value and prestige to the State!” Trump wrote.

“Home Values and Incomes would rise, and you would be even prouder while saluting our beautiful American Flag!”

The proposal did not receive an enthusiastic response from New Mexico’s Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham. She rejected the idea in a post on X, emphasizing the state’s long history.

“New Mexico was New Mexico long before the United States existed and we’ll be New Mexico forevermore,” she wrote.

Her response highlighted the historical significance of the name, which predates the creation of the United States.

The Atlantic and Pacific oceans are not the only waterways to have attracted Trump’s attention. The president has also repeatedly suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically important shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.

His preferred alternative was reportedly “Trump Strait.”

This article is made and published by Nicolai H, who may have used AI in the preparation