Trump Claims Google CEO Called Him About Renaming Atlantic Ocean
The former president recounted a purported conversation with Sundar Pichai during a rally, stating the CEO asked him to stop suggesting name changes for geographical landmarks.
Donald Trump claimed Thursday that Google CEO Sundar Pichai called him personally to request that he stop renaming geographical landmarks, including his idea to call the Atlantic Ocean the “American Ocean.”
Trump recounted the purported exchange during a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, while discussing his past attempts to rename places. He mentioned executive orders to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” He also floated rechristening New Mexico as “New America” and Iran’s Strait of Hormuz as “The Trump Strait.”
During his remarks, Trump considered renaming the Mississippi and Hudson rivers but expressed doubt about whether he could succeed. He then focused on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, suggesting names like “The Ocean Of The Americas” and “The American Ocean” for the Atlantic.
Trump stated that he sent Pichai a picture of the Atlantic Ocean labeled as the “American Ocean.” According to Trump, Pichai responded, “Look, sir, this has to stop.” Trump suggested Pichai initially believed he was joking but added a caveat, implying that such renaming endeavors might still be possible, saying, “That would be a tough one but you never know in life, do you?”
Google has previously faced scrutiny for accommodating Trump administration name changes on its Google Maps service.