The Trump administration is seeking to rename one of the world's major oceans. At a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, Donald Trump suggested that the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean be renamed after himself or to 'America's Ocean.' He said, 'Before I leave office, I think we should have an ocean.'
Geographical Name Changes
These oceans are recognized as international waters and fall under the jurisdiction of many countries and open seas. Trump is using his executive power to direct U.S. geographical officials regarding name changes, which could make these names a standard across all government entities. Although other countries and private companies, including mapping services like Google Maps and Apple Maps, are not required to follow these changes, some of them have previously altered the official names of certain geographical features for American users based on Trump's directives.
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Other Trump Proposals
Trump also noted that 'we need a big river' to rename, but dismissed the names of the Hudson and Mississippi Rivers. Regarding the Hudson River, he said, 'He did a good job discovering it a long time ago.' Trump also decided to keep the name of the Mississippi River due to his support in the state of Mississippi, stating, 'I love Mississippi. We easily took that state.'
Trump attended this rally to support Senator Marsha Blackburn, the Republican candidate for governor of Tennessee, and Senator Bill Hagerty, who is seeking re-election in the November midterms. He also referred to the Democratic candidate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, calling him 'Mohammed.'
History of Name Changes
Trump has previously shown his desire to change geographical names. In January 2025, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to use 'America's Gulf' instead of the Gulf of Mexico and also restored the name 'Mount McKinley' as the federal name for the highest peak in Alaska, which is also known as Denali. Renaming the Gulf of Mexico caused a dispute with Mexico, which argued that the United States has no authority to change the name of this entire waterway, part of which falls under Mexico's jurisdiction.
In April, Trump jokingly said he had considered renaming the Gulf of Mexico to 'Trump Gulf.' In August, he signed another order directing federal agencies to use the name 'America's Lake' instead of Lake Ontario. This name change came as the tariff war between the United States and Canada escalated, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the new name, stating that Canadians will always call it Lake Ontario.
Last month, Trump mentioned changing the name of New Mexico to 'New America,' but said that the name of the state depends on the people of New Mexico. He also proposed in September to rename the Strait of Hormuz to 'Trump Strait.'
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