Trump suggests renaming New Mexico amid torrent of online memes and taunts

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President Donald Trump on Sunday suggested renaming New Mexico as “New America,” an idea he floated amid dozens of other social media posts that included memes of the president, insults for his rivals and messages that Democrats said were distasteful.

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“Many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico, one of the great vote cheating states of all time, to NEW AMERICA,” Trump wrote in one Truth Social post, accompanied by an AI-crafted video of him changing a roadside billboard and dancing. “So much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I Love It!!!”

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Another post showed a map of New Mexico with “Mexico” crossed out and replaced by “America.”

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The president’s posts about renaming New Mexico appeared to be the latest manifestation of his second-term campaign to rebrand parts of the United States that share names with foreign countries. Trump last year ordered that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the “Gulf of America,” and last month he ordered that Lake Ontario be renamed “Lake America” as part of a standoff with Canada.

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While Trump can use executive authority to rename bodies of water and other geographic features, he lacks authority to rename New Mexico or other states. That would likely require action by the state and Congress. The president could instruct government agencies to refer to New Mexico under a new name.

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It was not immediately clear what prompted Trump’s posts about renaming New Mexico.

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Reached by phone Sunday night, Greg Cunningham, a Republican who is running for Congress in New Mexico’s second district, said his campaign team was reviewing Trump’s posts and expected to have a statement on Monday.

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The White House and the Republican Party of New Mexico did not respond to questions about Trump’s posts.

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Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico, who hold the governor’s office and all five of the state’s seats in Congress, immediately denounced Trump’s posts.

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“New Mexico’s name is not up for debate,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury wrote in a text message, adding: “Why is the President spending his time making memes and harassing the people of our state – while inflation is through the roof, gas prices are sky high, people cannot afford food, healthcare, and housing, and he has dragged our country into an illegal war in the Middle East that has claimed the lives of American service members, wounded hundreds of soldiers, and killed thousands of civilians?”

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Trump’s posts about renaming New Mexico came amid a flurry of more than 60 other posts on Sunday that included taunts of political rivals and surreal images of Trump appearing to be in dystopian settings.

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“Give them nightmares,” read the message on one post, with Trump surrounded by robots as fires burned in the background.

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Trump also posted an image of himself as wrestler Hulk Hogan; an image of his head in place of Iran; several images of himself with the nation’s first president, George Washington, including hosting Washington in the Oval Office; and a cartoon taunting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as “governor,” alluding to Trump’s assertion that Canada should be a U.S. state.

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Trump also returned to familiar territory, reposting a ranking of presidents that placed himself at the top, touting his planned White House ballroom and threatening attacks on Iran.

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The White House did not respond to questions about what prompted Trump’s flurry of posts, some of which were amplified by administration accounts and political allies.

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“On the decks of the sinking Titanic, they sang ‘Nearer My God To Thee.’ I wonder what they’ll sing while this ship is sinking,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) posted while sharing Trump’s post of a sinking ship dubbed the “Dumocratic Party.”

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