Donald Trump’s newest attempt at renaming a well-known place has stunned Democrats and sparked anger, as the president turns his attention toward a prominent blue state.
The 80-year-old Republican shared an unusual AI-altered meme on Sunday that appeared to give New Mexico a new name.
Echoing his previous provocative rebrandings — including referring to the Lake of Ontario as the Lake of America and the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America — Trump posted an image suggesting the southwestern state should instead be called “New America.”
The meme featured a map of the state with the word “Mexico” crossed out in red and replaced by “America.”
The image appeared without any further message or explanation from the president. Trump seemingly posted it from his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf resort, where he has been spending the long weekend.
The reaction from New Mexico Democrats was swift, with some of the state’s leading officials firing back almost immediately.
“It’s New Mexico, always has been and always will be,” Senator Ben Ray Lujan wrote in response. “Just like how you’ll always be a sinvergüenza and corrupt,” he added, using a Spanish term meaning a “shameless person” or “scoundrel.”
Democratic Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury also rejected the post, writing: “Oh hell no! Our state’s name carries generations of history, culture, and family—and it belongs to us. We’re New Mexicans. Period.”
President Donald Trump stoked controversy on Sunday evening by suggesting that New Mexico be renamed ‘New America’
The Republican shared this imag eon social media without comment. Immediately, his political opponents went into a furious frenzy
After presumably seeing the seething comments Trump then posted an AI video of him slapping a new label on a New Mexico welcome sign
After the outrage began pouring in, Trump, seemingly relishing the explosive moment he stirred online, doubled down with an even more outrageous social media entry.
About an hour later, the 80-year-old published an AI video of him slapping a new ‘America’ label on a ‘Welcome to New Mexico’ highway sign before busting into his signature dual fist dance routine.
Most of the state’s top lawmakers penned posts in unison to defend themselves from the presidential onslaught coming in the middle of Labor Day Weekend.
‘Three things I will always call by their actual names… The Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ontario, New Mexico,’ Senator Martin Heinrich wrote in rebuttal.
‘New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed,’ said New Mexico Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
She called the post a distraction from price hikes associated with the Iran war.
‘While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work,’ the governor added.
Despite the perceived threat, the president does not have the power to rename New Mexico. Any change proposed to the name has to come from within the state, since the name is written in its Constitution.
‘Three things I will always call by their actual names… The Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ontario, New Mexico,’ Senator Martin Heinrich wrote in rebuttal to Trump
A drone view shows Zorro Ranch, a property formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein, near Stanley, New Mexico
Flowers at a memorial near the entrance to Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch on March 8, 2026 outside Santa Fe, New Mexico
It’s not the first time that the state has clashed with the administration.
Liberal New Mexico officials have sparred with the Trump administration over the investigation of late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s sprawling former estate, dubbed Zorro Ranch.
The state’s Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued the administration over its refusal to release files that he says could help his investigation into Zorro Ranch in early August.
Torrez argued that the Trump administration is obstructing his probe into Epstein’s high-desert ranch where victims claim they were trafficked.
The New Mexico AG has argued that the redactions hide the identities of Zorro Ranch staffers and members of Epstein’s orbit who may have information on potential crimes related to the property.
New Mexico officials reopened an investigation into Zorro Ranch in February after Epstein files indicated that the property was not fully probed years ago.
The Department of Justice took over the investigation in 2019, and despite allegedly receiving information on potential conspirators, the feds never investigated the property or brought charges against conspirators.
