New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Lujan posted on the social media platform X to put Apple and Google on notice after President Donald Trump floated the idea of changing New Mexico’s name to New America. Lujan and the rest of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are asking the technology giants to publicly commit to keeping the state’s current name on their mapping services by September 18.
Trump cannot unilaterally rename a state, but that hasn’t stopped New Mexico lawmakers from taking his suggestion seriously after recent geographic name changes appeared on popular mapping services. The demand has now sparked its own debate online, with some people applauding lawmakers while others question why congressional leaders are spending time fighting something like this at all.
In the post, Senator Ben Ray Lujan writes, “I’m leading the New Mexico Congressional Delegation in calling on @Apple and @Google to keep New Mexico as New Mexico on their maps. President Trump has no legal authority to rename our state. New Mexico’s name belongs to our people – not the president. The companies have until September 18 to publicly commit.”
Trump began promoting the idea of calling the state New America over Labor Day weekend, sharing multiple social media posts depicting New Mexico with the proposed new name. New Mexico has carried its name for more than 450 years, long before it became the 47th state in 1912, and politicians from both parties have rejected the suggestion.
The president also cannot change New Mexico’s legal name through an executive order. The state constitution explicitly declares that “the name of this state is New Mexico,” and that any change would require the state to follow its own constitutional process.
Apple and Google are particularly important to Lujan’s request because both companies have previously adopted Gulf of America for US users after Trump directed the federal government to use that name for the Gulf of Mexico. Both recently changed Lake Ontario to Lake America on their mapping services for US users.
Comments and Reactions to Ben Ray Lujan’s Demand to Apple and Google
Some people responding to Lujan seemed confused that a name change was even possible, with one person asking, “Wait- Google CHANGED IT?” Similarly, another user wrote, “Why would they change it? As you pointed out, Trump has no legal authority to make a change.“
Others were far less impressed by Lujan’s announcement and argued that New Mexico lawmakers should be focusing on different issues. One commenter sarcastically wrote, “Who gives a [expletive] about names. Yall focus on things that don’t matter. The state is in poverty, education is terrible, healthcare is terrible, for such a rich state yall are letting it turn into a criminal pit.” Another person similarly wrote, “Ah yes. Fighting the real battles.“
As the post continues to gain traction online, more and more people are leaving their opinions and frustrations in the comments section below.
