Opinion: New Mexico rejects Trump's ‘New America' name change joke

A map of New Mexico that President Donald Trump posted on social media on Sunday, indicating he would like to rename the state New America. With the joke being so elementary and such low-hanging fruit, the biggest surprise was that it took so long for him to make it. In another example of the United States president using social media to provoke and jeer perceived political enemies, Donald Trump on Sunday posted a map of New Mexico with 'Mexico' crossed out and replaced with 'America,' effectively saying he wants to change our state's name to New America. Hilarious. For those of us who pay attention to the president's comments, we've been waiting for this shoe to drop for quite some time. It was shortly after a Thanksgiving weekend 2024 meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when Trump trolled our neighbor to the north by posting on social a map of the U.S. and Canada draped in an American flag and with the words 'Oh Canada!' The bit was that Canada, amid its trade war with the U.S., would somehow become the 51st state. A couple of months later, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Last month, he signed an executive order directing Lake Ontario be renamed Lake America on federal maps, records and databases. These actions are in addition to Trump putting (or trying to put) his name on a smattering of fighter jets, performing arts centers, airports and aircraft carriers. On Sunday, New Mexico's politicians didn't miss the opportunity to clap back at Trump. 'New Mexico's name isn't up for debate — it's been ours since before the United States existed. What is up for debate? Who's showing up for working families,' New Mexico Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wrote on X. 'While the President tries to distract Americans from his disastrous war in Iran, gas prices keep soaring. Americans are also spending more at the grocery store, losing access to health care and wondering if they'll ever be able to afford a home.' Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., who is locked in what appears to be the tightest U.S. congressional race this year, used Trump's post to target his GOP opponent, Greg Cunningham, for the southern New Mexico-based seat. 'You don't get to erase New Mexico,' he wrote on X. 'Not our name. Not our history. Not our culture. The President may want to call us 'New America,' but we know who we are.' 'Oh hell no!,' U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury said on X. 'Our state's name carries generations of history, culture, and family — and it belongs to us. We're New Mexicans. Period. There are plenty of people who could make well-researched arguments about how silly the president's suggestion is. The name Nuevo México dates to Spanish settlers in the 16th century. The land later became part of Mexico after the country won independence from Spain, and New Mexico became a U.S. territory in the mid-1800s following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. You could remind the president of all the American history intrinsically linked to New Mexico history: the Battle of Glorieta Pass during the Civil War, the Manhattan Project, the Navajo Code Talkers, the birth of the atomic age, and the American highway. My advice: Don't waste your breath. When immature people get frustrated, there's a tried and tired tactic of acting more and more obnoxious to get a rise out of someone to bring them down to their level. I saw it on display Saturday night, sitting in front of a sad and sorry group of Central Michigan Chippewas fans. One guy up way past his bedtime saw the writing on the wall, and around the second quarter started yelling at New Mexico Lobos fans, hurling personal insults about their weight, clothing and accents. I'm proud to report the cherry red-clad fans collectively ignored him. And kept watching their team score touchdowns until he quietly slithered out of the stadium. That's the same tactic to take with Trump. He has many frustrations at the moment: A war with Iran with no end in sight, stubborn fuel costs and inflation, a low approval rating, rising national debt. Trump's just trying to get a rise out of New Mexicans in hopes that we'll fight in the gutter. Just ignore him. It'll be hilarious. Ryan Boetel is the Opinion editor at the Albuquerque Journal. He can be reached at rboetel@abqjournal.com.