President Donald Trump suggested renaming either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean during a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday. Addressing an enthusiastic crowd, President Trump floated the possibility of designating one of the world's largest bodies of water as "Trump Ocean" or "Ocean of the Americas." This idea follows a series of previous actions by his administration to alter prominent geographical names for U.S. federal purposes.
"So we need a river and we need an ocean, so I was thinking of either the Atlantic or the Pacific. We'll call it Trump Ocean or Ocean of the Americas." President Donald Trump
During his remarks, President Trump outlined his current thoughts on geographical nomenclature. "So we've got the Gulf. We've got a beautiful lake. Now somebody you need a river," President Trump told supporters. He clarified that he had no interest in renaming the Hudson River, stating, "I don't want to change the name of the Hudson River. That's too much. Henry Hudson did a good job setting up that sucker a long time ago." Instead, President Trump indicated he was considering something far grander. "So we need a river and we need an ocean, so I was thinking of either the Atlantic or the Pacific," he said. "We'll call it Trump Ocean or Ocean of the Americas." The suggestion was met with loud cheers from the rally attendees. He also stated, "before I get out, I think we should have a ocean or we need a great river," further underscoring his intent to pursue additional name changes. President Trump also specified that the Mississippi River would not be subject to any renaming efforts, saying, "Now I'm not changing the name of the Mississippi."
This public suggestion aligns with President Trump's pattern of initiating geographical name changes since the start of his second term. In January 2025, President Trump issued an order for federal agencies to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." At the time, he stated, "We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America, what a beautiful name. And it's appropriate. It's appropriate." This directive applies specifically to terminology used by the U.S. federal government and does not compel other nations, such as Mexico or Cuba, which also border the body of water, to adopt the new name.
Following this, in August, President Trump announced his desire to rename Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes shared by the United States and Canada, to "Lake America." In a video, he explained his vision: "We're gonna make a little change, we're gonna call it something different than Lake Ontario. We're gonna call it Lake America. And all it takes is a good pen and some intelligence." He visually demonstrated this idea by marking out the existing name on a map and writing "LAKE AMERICA." Similar to the Gulf of America designation, this change applies to U.S. federal usage and does not require Canada to adopt the same terminology.
Earlier in his presidency, President Trump also reversed an Obama-era decision concerning North America's highest peak. In 2015, the mountain had been officially designated Denali, reflecting a name traditionally used by Alaska Native communities. President Trump restored the name Mount McKinley, honoring former President William McKinley. This action reignited a long-standing debate over the mountain's appropriate name and its historical and cultural significance.
President Trump's latest remarks in Clarksville signal that his administration may not be finished with efforts to rename significant geographical features. While the idea of renaming the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean currently remains a proposal articulated at a rally, rather than a formal executive order or federal designation, President Trump has clearly indicated his desire for at least one more major geographical feature to be renamed before the conclusion of his presidency. The practicalities and international implications of renaming an entire ocean, which are global commons, would be significantly more complex than previous changes affecting U.S. federal terminology.
