Trump Floats Renaming Atlantic or Pacific Ocean After Himself

US President Donald Trump has proposed renaming either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean “Trump Ocean” or “Ocean of the Americas,” suggesting that the United States should have an ocean and a major river named after it before he leaves office.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday, Trump said the country already had a gulf and a beautiful lake but needed a river and an ocean as well.

“We have a gulf. We have a beautiful lake. Now somebody said we need a river. We need an ocean, too,” Trump said.

He suggested that either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean could be renamed, jokingly proposing that one might bear his own name.

“We could call it the ‘Trump Ocean’ or the ‘Ocean of the Americas,’” he said, drawing laughter and applause from some members of the audience.

Last year, Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” a move that triggered diplomatic tensions with Mexico and a dispute with The Associated Press (AP), which refused to adopt the new name in its reporting. The decision sparked further controversy over the use of geographical names.

In August, Trump also renamed Lake Ontario, which lies between New York state and Canada, “Lake America” amid tensions with Canadian leaders over trade and tariffs.

The president has used executive authority to change the names of bodies of water and other geographical features. Private online mapping services have generally adopted the new names introduced by his administration.

At Saturday's rally, however, Trump said he would not rename the Hudson River, which flows through his home state of New York and was named after explorer Henry Hudson.

“He did a pretty good job putting that thing in a long time ago,” Trump said, referring to the river's namesake.

He also ruled out changing the name of the Mississippi River, which forms part of Tennessee's western boundary. Trump said he had a particular affection for Mississippi because of his strong electoral performance there.

“I love Mississippi. We won that state by a lot,” he said.

Last month, Trump also floated the idea of renaming the state of New Mexico “New America.” Such a change would likely require action by the state government and Congress.

Last week, Trump said the decision would ultimately rest with New Mexico residents.

In a video endorsing a Republican congressional candidate from the state, he said he would not push the proposal but noted that many people appeared to like the idea.

“I’m not going to push it, but a lot of people seem to like it,” Trump said.