Former President Donald Trump suggested at a rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday that the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean could be renamed in the country's or his honor. "Before I get out, I think we should have an ocean," Trump said. "We call it ‘Trump Ocean’ or ‘Ocean of the Americas,’ something like that."
The two oceans are international bodies of water that span many countries' jurisdictions as well as the high seas. Trump has executive authority to direct U.S. geographic naming authorities to adopt different names for federal government use, which would make those names the standard across federal agencies. Other countries and private companies would not be required to follow suit, though private mapping services like Google Maps and Apple Maps have previously changed their official labels for certain geographic features for U.S. users in accordance with Trump's orders.
Trump also mentioned a desire to rename a great river, but ruled out the Hudson River, citing explorer Henry Hudson's historical journey, and the Mississippi River, citing his strong support in the state.
Renaming geographic features is a pattern Trump has exhibited. In January 2025, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to use "Gulf of America" in place of the Gulf of Mexico and to restore "Mount McKinley" as the federal name for Alaska’s highest peak, also known as Denali.
The renaming of the gulf led to a dispute with Mexico, which argued that the U.S. lacked the authority to rename the entire body of water, parts of which lie within its jurisdiction. Mexico later sued Google over its use of "Gulf of America" for U.S. users.
In April, Trump joked about considering the name "Gulf of Trump." In August, he signed another order directing federal agencies to call Lake Ontario, which borders New York and the Canadian province of Ontario, "Lake America." This name change occurred amid an escalating U.S.-Canada tariff war and prompted criticism from Democratic lawmakers and Canadian officials, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who stated that Canadians would continue to call it Lake Ontario.
Last month, Trump proposed renaming the state of New Mexico as "New America," a name he reiterated in a video endorsing Republican Greg Cunningham for the state’s 2nd congressional district. Trump stated, however, that the state's name would be left "up to" New Mexicans and that he would not push the issue, though he noted that many people liked the idea. Officially renaming a state would likely require approval from the state legislature and Congress.
When asked about the seriousness of this proposal, Trump described it as an idea that was "just thrown out there." At Saturday's rally, he mentioned that "we're thinking about doing it" but indicated he would not make the name change himself.