New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has sharply rebuked President Trump after he floated renaming her state “New America,” calling it more “prestigious and beautiful.”
Trump posted a map to Truth Social on Sunday featuring the state’s name altered, with a large “X” drawn over the word “Mexico” and “America” written in its place.
The post followed a debunked online hoax claiming Trump had already signed an executive order formally changing the state’s name, which spread widely before being discredited.
Lujan Grisham responded directly on the social platform X, pushing back against the proposal with pointed language rooted in New Mexico’s history.
“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,” the governor wrote.
Lujan Grisham broadened her criticism beyond the renaming proposal, tying it to what she described as a pattern of presidential distraction from pressing economic issues.
“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,” she added.
The governor used her response to contrast the White House’s actions with what she described as her administration’s concrete policy achievements for working families in the state.
“Under Democratic leadership here in New Mexico, we’re providing families with free childcare and college, protecting access to health care and investing in housing. While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work,” Lujan Grisham said.
The statement drew a clear political line between state-level governance priorities and what the governor characterized as a federal administration focused on symbolic gestures over substantive policy.
New Mexico’s statehood dates to 1912, but the region carried its name long before American independence, a historical point Lujan Grisham invoked directly in her rebuttal.
The White House had not responded to requests for comment at the time the story was reported, leaving Trump’s intentions behind the Truth Social post open to interpretation.
