Oct. 20, 2026
Trump Insists New Mexico Should IMMEDIATELY Change Its Name to “New America”
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RSS Feed Why is our president so obsessed with changing names? His latest target is the state of New Mexico: Trump writing on his social media that a name change would increase home values and incomes, but made sure to insult the state by saying it’s known for its “crooked elections.” Of note, Trump lost New Mexico in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. There has been strong reaction from New Mexico officials, but not a lot of fear about what may happen next. While the president can change bodies of water and other geographic features, he cannot technically rename a state.
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Tuesday, October 20th, and President Trump is at it again. I guess that could mean almost anything. But this time in particular, we're talking about he's at his name game again. Waiting to hear which state now he wants to rename. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. I said waiting to hear. Most people have heard now. He has his eye on a state. He doesn't like their name roles. He can't make them change it. But he might have a little power here.
00:00:32
Speaker 2: Yes. We know that the president actually does have the authority to rename bodies of water. He can rename some geographic features, you know, like maybe, I don't know, the Kennedy Center. I'm kidding. He can't rename the Kennedy Center. He did. Or he's trying to. He did for a while.
00:00:48
Speaker 1: He did for a while.
00:00:48
Speaker 2: It didn't last.
00:00:49
Speaker 1: And I guess it's not the Kennedy Center. The tarp is still up. I don't know what's behind it. Right.
00:00:53
Speaker 2: Exactly. We don't really know. He's got a tarp up. Oh, and it's shut down. Oh, yeah. So he doesn't get to rename something he wants. He finds other ways to punish the building or people who love the building. So, yes, we'll see what happens with the state of New Mexico because he wants it changed to New America. Now, what he can do, some people are saying, is he can direct government agencies to refer to New Mexico under a new name. He can't technically change it, but he can tell the government... and its entities to refer to it as New America rather than New Mexico.
00:01:37
Speaker 1: You can do that?
00:01:37
Speaker 2: So.
00:01:38
Speaker 1: Like he did with the, what else? I mean, like America.
00:01:42
Speaker 2: Well, he actually got maps changed. So he actually pressured Apple and Google and those folks to actually change the name on the maps. I don't know if he can apply that kind of pressure to those entities, but he can at least refer to it, have other government officials refer to it as New America.
00:02:01
Speaker 1: It's the same thing. It's the same, right? If he signs a declaration, said now all federal corporations agencies have to refer to this place as New America. He's going to sign off on that?
00:02:11
Speaker 2: He could do that.
00:02:12
Speaker 1: But Robes, that's what he did with the Gulf of Mexico. It's what he did with the lake. He can't tell Canada or the rest of the world what to do. He can't tell anybody, but he can tell the federal government, this is how we're going to refer to it. He could tell Apple and Google and pressure them, but they didn't have to. Like MapQuest. Again, kudos, MapQuest, once again.
00:02:31
Speaker 2: Kudos to MapQuest.
00:02:32
Speaker 1: Once again. But Rook, to think I'm going to have to say Santa Fe, New America. It's ridiculous.
00:02:40
Speaker 2: That is so silly. So let's read to you his entire Truth Social post so we can actually just let you hear it from the horse's mouth. New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico. We are the United States of America! Exclamation point. The name would add great value and prestige to the state. Home values and incomes would rise.
00:03:08
Speaker 1: Possibly.
00:03:08
Speaker 2: And you would even be prouder while saluting our beautiful American flag. Is he for real?
00:03:14
Speaker 1: True.
00:03:14
Speaker 2: Maybe even the crooked elections that New Mexico is known for would become honest again.
00:03:20
Speaker 1: Wait, what?
00:03:21
Speaker 2: President Donald J. Trump. Well, you know Trump lost the state in 2016, 2020- and 2024. So the elections must be rigged because there's no way that anybody or any state would actually technically have not voted for him. It must be voter fraud. It must be election fraud.
00:03:39
Speaker 1: That's on brand.
00:03:40
Speaker 2: So of course the elections are crooked because he didn't win that state in any of the three presidential elections he participated in.
00:03:47
Speaker 1: And to turn it all around, just change your name.
00:03:50
Speaker 2: If it was just New America, he would have won that state. And home values would rise. You would make more money. If you live in New Mexico and you're listening, if you just change the name, you'll actually have a higher income. That's what he's saying.
00:04:04
Speaker 1: Is this supposed to just be funny? I mean, nobody... We shouldn't be outraged, not upset. Isn't this just par for the course? It's embarrassing for....
00:04:14
Speaker 2: And maybe for our country. We voted for him.
00:04:17
Speaker 1: There's a Lake America, for God's sake. There's a Gulf of America. This is small. potato but this is what he does this is how he rolls so why he's doing it that part i'm not exactly sure but it sounds like you just want to pop off and insult some folks who didn't vote for him well and this is a yes nothing but nothing what prompts this what is the point of this.
00:04:35
Speaker 2: He doesn't like the mexican name in our country in any way shape or form apparently because he went after the gulf of mexico and now he's going after new mexico and remember it was just last month also on his true social page, that he had a map with the state of New Mexico. He crossed out, there was a big X over Mexico, and he put the name America below it. So he's floated this idea before. The official White House account on X reposts both of these. It's just jaw-dropping. I know we say we shouldn't be surprised, but maybe we should still be surprised.
00:05:14
Speaker 1: How? This is, I mean, it's... Okay, I'm a little down on energy today. I don't have it to give to this. It's just like your blood doesn't boil anymore. You cannot have an argument related to this, baby. You cannot have a discussion with someone who is willing to do this thing. You cannot do it. I guess if he's distracted with this, maybe he can't do something else. I don't know, babe, but this is just what he does. And maybe some people find this fun and funny Maybe some people agree with it, that we should have everything. I mean, we got a lot of work to do if you want to get all Mexico out of this country and all names. We got a long, long way to go, but that's not the point here, Robes. Is he just distracting folks with this, or is he trying to divide folks with this? Making another play to American exceptionalism and whiteness. That Any type of diversity or it stains us by having Mexico in there a little bit. Call it America and it would be better. Get that out of here. That mindset, babe, is that supposed to fire somebody up right now to go, yeah, get them out of here. Us against that thing.
00:06:46
Speaker 2: That's been his entire presidency. If you look at ICE, you look at his immigration policy, and look, we have needed, and I think a lot of people who live along the border would agree, we do need better enforcement. We need to enforce the laws in our books. So it's not even that, but he takes it beyond that. It's not just about border control or about making sure we keep American cities safe. Yes, that's his through line through a lot of it, but most of it is racist as hell, and it's nationalism, which is dangerous. Let's look at Germany. I just... It's scary to think that you've got nationalism being used as a part of a presidential election in this country. It is a dangerous place to constantly be dipping your toe into that well. It is frightening for a lot of people that were always all about us and everyone else be damned. We're the best people. No one's as good as us. We're the best in the world. And we don't even want to be muddied with another name that isn't American.
00:07:46
Speaker 1: So it could be a political play to actually. So I'm saying it might not just be a silly. It might be strategy. It might be a little thing that he might think will fire up people up a little bit or remind them of something in particular, just a little bit, because right now they could use all the help they could get based on every single poll you read.
00:08:06
Speaker 2: Yes, but then we see in the news certain outlets will add And certainly we've seen Trump try to turn it around and he has been on the campaign trail, crisscrossing the country, trying to rally up supporters, get people to the polls, early voting, all of that. And he's claiming everywhere he goes. If you look at his true social today, he has headlines from local newspapers. I don't, it seems like they're legit talking about large crowds and everyone loves Trump. And so, yes, that is part of his strategy. Without a doubt.
00:08:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, of course. He says he's all... I mean, still, his inauguration is the most attended inauguration in the history of inaugurations, right? You remember the one with the empty lawns?
00:08:48
Speaker 2: Right, the pictures that belie everything he said.
00:08:50
Speaker 1: Yes, that, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, we're used to all this big crowd. And yes, crowds are showing up at these rallies. Roads to suggest that this is causing a new red wave of... Roads, every poll, even the Fox News presidential approval... poll it's got him at what 36 was it 30.
00:09:09
Speaker 2: I thought it was 30 36 37 percent the lowest of his presidency.
00:09:13
Speaker 1: But all of them that have come out 33 34 35 36 all of them are in that lane something is happening because people are playing what they're paying for that diesel fuel for their regular fuel and babe they see the president talking about golf courses and reflecting pools and the arch he wants to build and the kennedy center he wants to tear down He's really focused on that stuff.
00:09:38
Speaker 2: Yes, and the lakes he wants to rename and the bodies of water and now the state of New Mexico.
00:09:43
Speaker 1: He's focused on that stuff.
00:09:45
Speaker 2: Because he doesn't want us focused on the economy. He doesn't want us focused on the Iran war.
00:09:50
Speaker 1: That's the political argument. But from a voter, that is what it feels like. Wherever you are and whatever your trouble is related to the government, do you feel like the president is focused on that issue of yours? Focused. Man, I know how he feels about the reflecting pool.
00:10:08
Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely.
00:10:10
Speaker 1: He's passionate.
00:10:11
Speaker 2: He's all about the aesthetics. That is for sure.
00:10:14
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:10:15
Speaker 2: But look, there has been reaction, as you might imagine, from several New Mexico officials and those who would like to become New Mexico officials. The Democratic senator there, Ben Ray Lujan, I like what he said. He said New Mexico's name dates back hundreds of years.
00:10:33
Speaker 1: It does.
00:10:33
Speaker 2: Long before the United States even existed.
00:10:36
Speaker 1: It actually does.
00:10:37
Speaker 2: It carries generations of history, culture, and rich traditions that continue to shape who we are. We are New Mexicans. We're proud of our name, proud of our home, and we're keeping both. Long after Donald Trump is out of office, we'll still be New Mexico. Look, there is a thing about state pride. You see people walking around with their T-shirts that have the outline of the state they're from. This is something, it's always been a source of pride, and especially when you have some cultural significance in this country. And it is offensive to people who live there, who work there, who love the state they're in.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: They all do. They all do. There are generations that have come up there, and the president, the most prominent and powerful person on the planet, just said, your name sucks for that place you're from, that you live. You need to change it. Y'all suck. The only way you can get better is to get that Mexico out of there.
00:11:28
Speaker 2: Exactly. And look, last month when he put that meme up on History of Social, we heard from the governor there, and she said, the name isn't up for debate, but even the gubernatorial candidate, Trump should be focused on ending this war, stopping these tariffs, and making things less expensive, not renaming our state. And I thought it was interesting because the Republican who is running for a seat in Congress there, Greg Cunningham, he was just in a debate, and he was asked this question. What do you say when you're a Republican, a Trump Republican, and you're asked about renaming the name of your state, the state you're trying to run for office in? That's a tough spot to be in. He said.
00:12:10
Speaker 1: He shouldn't be.
00:12:11
Speaker 2: Yeah, here's how he threaded the needle.
00:12:13
Speaker 1: Oh, no, he didn't.
00:12:14
Speaker 2: Well, he just said, it's not something that's legislatively possible, so nothing's going to change.
00:12:19
Speaker 1: Next question. Don't vote for him. I don't even know who this guy is. I'm sorry. He wouldn't even.
00:12:24
Speaker 2: I know, he wouldn't even have a... He wouldn't even give a personal comment on it. He just said, it can't happen, so I'm not going to talk about it.
00:12:31
Speaker 1: So tell me what the risk was, right? These guys make some calculations. I am so terrified of him that I won't say anything that even suggests I don't agree with him.
00:12:44
Speaker 2: Correct.
00:12:45
Speaker 1: For the sake of your vote, for the sake of my state, for the sake of being on your side, for something we're all on the same side for, which is our name. He can't simply say, I'm proud of it. If anybody else has a problem with it, that's on you. But I am so proud to be a New Mexican. My family, I mean... Pivot if you want to, but say something prideful. Say something as a human being. Say, don't do a Dukakis thing there.
00:13:13
Speaker 2: I mean, that to me, I don't know if he even realizes how slippery that seemed and how even if you liked his policy, when you hear an answer like that and you're a proud New Mexican, you're really going to vote for that guy? That's tough because that feels personal and offensive.
00:13:31
Speaker 1: We don't know this guy.
00:13:32
Speaker 2: I don't know him at all.
00:13:33
Speaker 1: We're just on this one thing and we're not We're not endorsing anybody. No, no, no, no, no, no.
00:13:37
Speaker 2: But it's just, it was a shitty answer.
00:13:40
Speaker 1: Is he in that position? Does the president put a lot of Republicans in that position? They're scared to say anything.
00:13:47
Speaker 2: And then is that somebody you want representing you in office? To me, that speaks volumes to their backbone, their moral compass, and what they're willing to give up in order to get something they want. That was.
00:14:03
Speaker 1: That was a softball. He could have knocked that one out.
00:14:06
Speaker 2: Of the park. And he should have expected it and had a really damn good answer ready.
00:14:10
Speaker 1: Oh, it should have been brilliant.
00:14:12
Speaker 2: Obviously, he was going to get asked about that. Obviously.
00:14:15
Speaker 1: The name of your state. I mean, I'll defend the name Arkansas if he wants to come after me.
00:14:23
Speaker 2: Oh my goodness. All right. When we come back, we're going to talk about, I learned a little bit, actually a lot about the history of New Mexico and why what the president is asking is so deeply offensive. Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. Yes, you've heard by now, President Trump wants to rename New Mexico and make it New America. Technically, he's not allowed to, but he can find ways to make it difficult or uncomfortable. That's a good word. He can direct government agencies to refer to New Mexico under a new name, but he cannot technically change it. It would actually take the state of New Mexico, the state legislature, maybe even Congress. Has it been done before? I don't even know if people know the way forward. They just know it's not within the president's powers to do so. But looking into the history of New Mexico, yes, that candidate or actually the senator from New Mexico had it right. The name predates the founding of the United States. And if all you have to do is go to the Department of the Interior website, Origin of Names of the U.S. States. I actually thought that maybe they might take this down because they knew people would refer to it. I quickly wrote it down because I figured soon it would be error, page not found.
00:15:49
Speaker 1: That's happening.
00:15:50
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:15:50
Speaker 1: I bet that happens.
00:15:51
Speaker 2: But under New Mexico, this is what it reads on our government website. Called New Mexico when the Mexicans referred to the territory north and west of the Rio Grande in the 16th century. may have been derived from the name of the Aztec war god Mexitli. Still another interpretation is that it means habitation of the god of war. But when you start to think about, it's much like Lake Ontario, that this state, this area that we now call New Mexico, was named that in the 16th century. We're talking about the 1500s, correct?
00:16:31
Speaker 1: Here's the point, folks. New Mexico had its name before Mexico even existed.
00:16:38
Speaker 2: New Mexico had its name before... Yes.
00:16:42
Speaker 1: Before the country of Mexico ever existed, New Mexico was there. So this idea that it was named after or derived from or whatever he thinks about Mexico is just another one of those, right, Prime Minister Carney smackdowns. Let me give you a little education about Lake Ontario. Let me give you a little education about New Mexico.
00:17:00
Speaker 2: You only have to go to our... government's website to learn about this pretty remarkable history. I mean, I don't know that another state, maybe they do. I don't know enough. But that to me, we don't have anything that goes back further than 200 something years. Like it's pretty remarkable to have that kind of history in that area. And it would be a damn shame to have it somehow erased. or changed or just, that just seems so wrong on so many levels.
00:17:29
Speaker 1: I hope he doesn't push. I don't know how far he's willing to go on this with an executive order to change the name of the state. I mean, he did it with the lake. He did it with the Gulf. Would he really do that to a state? Well, they didn't vote for him anyway. He doesn't care.
00:17:43
Speaker 2: He doesn't care. And maybe it's almost punishment for not voting for him. You never know. Because, yes, he has somehow now just fixated on New Mexico. We know Lake Ontario. He's now renamed Lake America, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of America. And I think we've maybe touched on this, but everybody stay seated because he has floated this now. He has mentioned more than once that he is considering voting renaming the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean. As we mentioned, he actually does have the right through the presidency to rename bodies of water.
00:18:20
Speaker 1: Do you have his suggestions in there? No.
00:18:23
Speaker 2: Do you have them?
00:18:24
Speaker 1: One of them was Trump Ocean.
00:18:27
Speaker 2: Trump Ocean.
00:18:28
Speaker 1: One of the suggestions was that.
00:18:30
Speaker 2: And he'll probably say it wasn't me. Everyone told me that that's just the best thing you could call this, and so I'm not going to get in their way. If they're telling me that's what everybody wants, Trump Ocean. I was thinking it was going to be American Ocean.
00:18:44
Speaker 1: Oh, that's on the list, but he said out loud. I heard him make the suggestion of Trump Ocean. Sure, he was just joking. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. He's just playing.
00:18:54
Speaker 2: Don't worry about it. We're still worried about the Kennedy Center. Poor thing.
00:18:58
Speaker 1: You know what? That's the memorial to that man, by the way.
00:19:01
Speaker 2: It's the memorial to John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated as the president of the United States, and his living relatives are watching this all take place. It's jaw-dropping.
00:19:15
Speaker 1: Can you imagine somebody trying to write their name in front of your loved ones on their tombstone? Just wherever you go, visit a grave site. Think about where you have gone. Visit a grave site. Just somebody bent down and wrote their name in front of your loved one.
00:19:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, above your loved one's name.
00:19:35
Speaker 1: Absolutely. Above.
00:19:37
Speaker 2: And now, first he had like raised letters. Now he wants to etch it into the tombstone. That's what's happening or that's what he'd like to happen. We shall see. But with that, everyone, we always appreciate you. listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside TJ Holmes. We'll talk soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Tuesday, October 20th, and President Trump is at it again. I guess that could mean almost anything. But this time in particular, we're talking about he's at his name game again. Waiting to hear which state now he wants to rename. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. I said waiting to hear. Most people have heard now. He has his eye on a state. He doesn't like their name roles. He can't make them change it. But he might have a little power here.
00:00:32
Speaker 2: Yes. We know that the president actually does have the authority to rename bodies of water. He can rename some geographic features, you know, like maybe, I don't know, the Kennedy Center. I'm kidding. He can't rename the Kennedy Center. He did. Or he's trying to. He did for a while.
00:00:48
Speaker 1: He did for a while.
00:00:48
Speaker 2: It didn't last.
00:00:49
Speaker 1: And I guess it's not the Kennedy Center. The tarp is still up. I don't know what's behind it. Right.
00:00:53
Speaker 2: Exactly. We don't really know. He's got a tarp up. Oh, and it's shut down. Oh, yeah. So he doesn't get to rename something he wants. He finds other ways to punish the building or people who love the building. So, yes, we'll see what happens with the state of New Mexico because he wants it changed to New America. Now, what he can do, some people are saying, is he can direct government agencies to refer to New Mexico under a new name. He can't technically change it, but he can tell the government... and its entities to refer to it as New America rather than New Mexico.
00:01:37
Speaker 1: You can do that?
00:01:37
Speaker 2: So.
00:01:38
Speaker 1: Like he did with the, what else? I mean, like America.
00:01:42
Speaker 2: Well, he actually got maps changed. So he actually pressured Apple and Google and those folks to actually change the name on the maps. I don't know if he can apply that kind of pressure to those entities, but he can at least refer to it, have other government officials refer to it as New America.
00:02:01
Speaker 1: It's the same thing. It's the same, right? If he signs a declaration, said now all federal corporations agencies have to refer to this place as New America. He's going to sign off on that?
00:02:11
Speaker 2: He could do that.
00:02:12
Speaker 1: But Robes, that's what he did with the Gulf of Mexico. It's what he did with the lake. He can't tell Canada or the rest of the world what to do. He can't tell anybody, but he can tell the federal government, this is how we're going to refer to it. He could tell Apple and Google and pressure them, but they didn't have to. Like MapQuest. Again, kudos, MapQuest, once again.
00:02:31
Speaker 2: Kudos to MapQuest.
00:02:32
Speaker 1: Once again. But Rook, to think I'm going to have to say Santa Fe, New America. It's ridiculous.
00:02:40
Speaker 2: That is so silly. So let's read to you his entire Truth Social post so we can actually just let you hear it from the horse's mouth. New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico. We are the United States of America! Exclamation point. The name would add great value and prestige to the state. Home values and incomes would rise.
00:03:08
Speaker 1: Possibly.
00:03:08
Speaker 2: And you would even be prouder while saluting our beautiful American flag. Is he for real?
00:03:14
Speaker 1: True.
00:03:14
Speaker 2: Maybe even the crooked elections that New Mexico is known for would become honest again.
00:03:20
Speaker 1: Wait, what?
00:03:21
Speaker 2: President Donald J. Trump. Well, you know Trump lost the state in 2016, 2020- and 2024. So the elections must be rigged because there's no way that anybody or any state would actually technically have not voted for him. It must be voter fraud. It must be election fraud.
00:03:39
Speaker 1: That's on brand.
00:03:40
Speaker 2: So of course the elections are crooked because he didn't win that state in any of the three presidential elections he participated in.
00:03:47
Speaker 1: And to turn it all around, just change your name.
00:03:50
Speaker 2: If it was just New America, he would have won that state. And home values would rise. You would make more money. If you live in New Mexico and you're listening, if you just change the name, you'll actually have a higher income. That's what he's saying.
00:04:04
Speaker 1: Is this supposed to just be funny? I mean, nobody... We shouldn't be outraged, not upset. Isn't this just par for the course? It's embarrassing for....
00:04:14
Speaker 2: And maybe for our country. We voted for him.
00:04:17
Speaker 1: There's a Lake America, for God's sake. There's a Gulf of America. This is small. potato but this is what he does this is how he rolls so why he's doing it that part i'm not exactly sure but it sounds like you just want to pop off and insult some folks who didn't vote for him well and this is a yes nothing but nothing what prompts this what is the point of this.
00:04:35
Speaker 2: He doesn't like the mexican name in our country in any way shape or form apparently because he went after the gulf of mexico and now he's going after new mexico and remember it was just last month also on his true social page, that he had a map with the state of New Mexico. He crossed out, there was a big X over Mexico, and he put the name America below it. So he's floated this idea before. The official White House account on X reposts both of these. It's just jaw-dropping. I know we say we shouldn't be surprised, but maybe we should still be surprised.
00:05:14
Speaker 1: How? This is, I mean, it's... Okay, I'm a little down on energy today. I don't have it to give to this. It's just like your blood doesn't boil anymore. You cannot have an argument related to this, baby. You cannot have a discussion with someone who is willing to do this thing. You cannot do it. I guess if he's distracted with this, maybe he can't do something else. I don't know, babe, but this is just what he does. And maybe some people find this fun and funny Maybe some people agree with it, that we should have everything. I mean, we got a lot of work to do if you want to get all Mexico out of this country and all names. We got a long, long way to go, but that's not the point here, Robes. Is he just distracting folks with this, or is he trying to divide folks with this? Making another play to American exceptionalism and whiteness. That Any type of diversity or it stains us by having Mexico in there a little bit. Call it America and it would be better. Get that out of here. That mindset, babe, is that supposed to fire somebody up right now to go, yeah, get them out of here. Us against that thing.
00:06:46
Speaker 2: That's been his entire presidency. If you look at ICE, you look at his immigration policy, and look, we have needed, and I think a lot of people who live along the border would agree, we do need better enforcement. We need to enforce the laws in our books. So it's not even that, but he takes it beyond that. It's not just about border control or about making sure we keep American cities safe. Yes, that's his through line through a lot of it, but most of it is racist as hell, and it's nationalism, which is dangerous. Let's look at Germany. I just... It's scary to think that you've got nationalism being used as a part of a presidential election in this country. It is a dangerous place to constantly be dipping your toe into that well. It is frightening for a lot of people that were always all about us and everyone else be damned. We're the best people. No one's as good as us. We're the best in the world. And we don't even want to be muddied with another name that isn't American.
00:07:46
Speaker 1: So it could be a political play to actually. So I'm saying it might not just be a silly. It might be strategy. It might be a little thing that he might think will fire up people up a little bit or remind them of something in particular, just a little bit, because right now they could use all the help they could get based on every single poll you read.
00:08:06
Speaker 2: Yes, but then we see in the news certain outlets will add And certainly we've seen Trump try to turn it around and he has been on the campaign trail, crisscrossing the country, trying to rally up supporters, get people to the polls, early voting, all of that. And he's claiming everywhere he goes. If you look at his true social today, he has headlines from local newspapers. I don't, it seems like they're legit talking about large crowds and everyone loves Trump. And so, yes, that is part of his strategy. Without a doubt.
00:08:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, of course. He says he's all... I mean, still, his inauguration is the most attended inauguration in the history of inaugurations, right? You remember the one with the empty lawns?
00:08:48
Speaker 2: Right, the pictures that belie everything he said.
00:08:50
Speaker 1: Yes, that, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, we're used to all this big crowd. And yes, crowds are showing up at these rallies. Roads to suggest that this is causing a new red wave of... Roads, every poll, even the Fox News presidential approval... poll it's got him at what 36 was it 30.
00:09:09
Speaker 2: I thought it was 30 36 37 percent the lowest of his presidency.
00:09:13
Speaker 1: But all of them that have come out 33 34 35 36 all of them are in that lane something is happening because people are playing what they're paying for that diesel fuel for their regular fuel and babe they see the president talking about golf courses and reflecting pools and the arch he wants to build and the kennedy center he wants to tear down He's really focused on that stuff.
00:09:38
Speaker 2: Yes, and the lakes he wants to rename and the bodies of water and now the state of New Mexico.
00:09:43
Speaker 1: He's focused on that stuff.
00:09:45
Speaker 2: Because he doesn't want us focused on the economy. He doesn't want us focused on the Iran war.
00:09:50
Speaker 1: That's the political argument. But from a voter, that is what it feels like. Wherever you are and whatever your trouble is related to the government, do you feel like the president is focused on that issue of yours? Focused. Man, I know how he feels about the reflecting pool.
00:10:08
Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely.
00:10:10
Speaker 1: He's passionate.
00:10:11
Speaker 2: He's all about the aesthetics. That is for sure.
00:10:14
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:10:15
Speaker 2: But look, there has been reaction, as you might imagine, from several New Mexico officials and those who would like to become New Mexico officials. The Democratic senator there, Ben Ray Lujan, I like what he said. He said New Mexico's name dates back hundreds of years.
00:10:33
Speaker 1: It does.
00:10:33
Speaker 2: Long before the United States even existed.
00:10:36
Speaker 1: It actually does.
00:10:37
Speaker 2: It carries generations of history, culture, and rich traditions that continue to shape who we are. We are New Mexicans. We're proud of our name, proud of our home, and we're keeping both. Long after Donald Trump is out of office, we'll still be New Mexico. Look, there is a thing about state pride. You see people walking around with their T-shirts that have the outline of the state they're from. This is something, it's always been a source of pride, and especially when you have some cultural significance in this country. And it is offensive to people who live there, who work there, who love the state they're in.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: They all do. They all do. There are generations that have come up there, and the president, the most prominent and powerful person on the planet, just said, your name sucks for that place you're from, that you live. You need to change it. Y'all suck. The only way you can get better is to get that Mexico out of there.
00:11:28
Speaker 2: Exactly. And look, last month when he put that meme up on History of Social, we heard from the governor there, and she said, the name isn't up for debate, but even the gubernatorial candidate, Trump should be focused on ending this war, stopping these tariffs, and making things less expensive, not renaming our state. And I thought it was interesting because the Republican who is running for a seat in Congress there, Greg Cunningham, he was just in a debate, and he was asked this question. What do you say when you're a Republican, a Trump Republican, and you're asked about renaming the name of your state, the state you're trying to run for office in? That's a tough spot to be in. He said.
00:12:10
Speaker 1: He shouldn't be.
00:12:11
Speaker 2: Yeah, here's how he threaded the needle.
00:12:13
Speaker 1: Oh, no, he didn't.
00:12:14
Speaker 2: Well, he just said, it's not something that's legislatively possible, so nothing's going to change.
00:12:19
Speaker 1: Next question. Don't vote for him. I don't even know who this guy is. I'm sorry. He wouldn't even.
00:12:24
Speaker 2: I know, he wouldn't even have a... He wouldn't even give a personal comment on it. He just said, it can't happen, so I'm not going to talk about it.
00:12:31
Speaker 1: So tell me what the risk was, right? These guys make some calculations. I am so terrified of him that I won't say anything that even suggests I don't agree with him.
00:12:44
Speaker 2: Correct.
00:12:45
Speaker 1: For the sake of your vote, for the sake of my state, for the sake of being on your side, for something we're all on the same side for, which is our name. He can't simply say, I'm proud of it. If anybody else has a problem with it, that's on you. But I am so proud to be a New Mexican. My family, I mean... Pivot if you want to, but say something prideful. Say something as a human being. Say, don't do a Dukakis thing there.
00:13:13
Speaker 2: I mean, that to me, I don't know if he even realizes how slippery that seemed and how even if you liked his policy, when you hear an answer like that and you're a proud New Mexican, you're really going to vote for that guy? That's tough because that feels personal and offensive.
00:13:31
Speaker 1: We don't know this guy.
00:13:32
Speaker 2: I don't know him at all.
00:13:33
Speaker 1: We're just on this one thing and we're not We're not endorsing anybody. No, no, no, no, no, no.
00:13:37
Speaker 2: But it's just, it was a shitty answer.
00:13:40
Speaker 1: Is he in that position? Does the president put a lot of Republicans in that position? They're scared to say anything.
00:13:47
Speaker 2: And then is that somebody you want representing you in office? To me, that speaks volumes to their backbone, their moral compass, and what they're willing to give up in order to get something they want. That was.
00:14:03
Speaker 1: That was a softball. He could have knocked that one out.
00:14:06
Speaker 2: Of the park. And he should have expected it and had a really damn good answer ready.
00:14:10
Speaker 1: Oh, it should have been brilliant.
00:14:12
Speaker 2: Obviously, he was going to get asked about that. Obviously.
00:14:15
Speaker 1: The name of your state. I mean, I'll defend the name Arkansas if he wants to come after me.
00:14:23
Speaker 2: Oh my goodness. All right. When we come back, we're going to talk about, I learned a little bit, actually a lot about the history of New Mexico and why what the president is asking is so deeply offensive. Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ. Yes, you've heard by now, President Trump wants to rename New Mexico and make it New America. Technically, he's not allowed to, but he can find ways to make it difficult or uncomfortable. That's a good word. He can direct government agencies to refer to New Mexico under a new name, but he cannot technically change it. It would actually take the state of New Mexico, the state legislature, maybe even Congress. Has it been done before? I don't even know if people know the way forward. They just know it's not within the president's powers to do so. But looking into the history of New Mexico, yes, that candidate or actually the senator from New Mexico had it right. The name predates the founding of the United States. And if all you have to do is go to the Department of the Interior website, Origin of Names of the U.S. States. I actually thought that maybe they might take this down because they knew people would refer to it. I quickly wrote it down because I figured soon it would be error, page not found.
00:15:49
Speaker 1: That's happening.
00:15:50
Speaker 2: Yes.
00:15:50
Speaker 1: I bet that happens.
00:15:51
Speaker 2: But under New Mexico, this is what it reads on our government website. Called New Mexico when the Mexicans referred to the territory north and west of the Rio Grande in the 16th century. may have been derived from the name of the Aztec war god Mexitli. Still another interpretation is that it means habitation of the god of war. But when you start to think about, it's much like Lake Ontario, that this state, this area that we now call New Mexico, was named that in the 16th century. We're talking about the 1500s, correct?
00:16:31
Speaker 1: Here's the point, folks. New Mexico had its name before Mexico even existed.
00:16:38
Speaker 2: New Mexico had its name before... Yes.
00:16:42
Speaker 1: Before the country of Mexico ever existed, New Mexico was there. So this idea that it was named after or derived from or whatever he thinks about Mexico is just another one of those, right, Prime Minister Carney smackdowns. Let me give you a little education about Lake Ontario. Let me give you a little education about New Mexico.
00:17:00
Speaker 2: You only have to go to our... government's website to learn about this pretty remarkable history. I mean, I don't know that another state, maybe they do. I don't know enough. But that to me, we don't have anything that goes back further than 200 something years. Like it's pretty remarkable to have that kind of history in that area. And it would be a damn shame to have it somehow erased. or changed or just, that just seems so wrong on so many levels.
00:17:29
Speaker 1: I hope he doesn't push. I don't know how far he's willing to go on this with an executive order to change the name of the state. I mean, he did it with the lake. He did it with the Gulf. Would he really do that to a state? Well, they didn't vote for him anyway. He doesn't care.
00:17:43
Speaker 2: He doesn't care. And maybe it's almost punishment for not voting for him. You never know. Because, yes, he has somehow now just fixated on New Mexico. We know Lake Ontario. He's now renamed Lake America, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of America. And I think we've maybe touched on this, but everybody stay seated because he has floated this now. He has mentioned more than once that he is considering voting renaming the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean. As we mentioned, he actually does have the right through the presidency to rename bodies of water.
00:18:20
Speaker 1: Do you have his suggestions in there? No.
00:18:23
Speaker 2: Do you have them?
00:18:24
Speaker 1: One of them was Trump Ocean.
00:18:27
Speaker 2: Trump Ocean.
00:18:28
Speaker 1: One of the suggestions was that.
00:18:30
Speaker 2: And he'll probably say it wasn't me. Everyone told me that that's just the best thing you could call this, and so I'm not going to get in their way. If they're telling me that's what everybody wants, Trump Ocean. I was thinking it was going to be American Ocean.
00:18:44
Speaker 1: Oh, that's on the list, but he said out loud. I heard him make the suggestion of Trump Ocean. Sure, he was just joking. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. He's just playing.
00:18:54
Speaker 2: Don't worry about it. We're still worried about the Kennedy Center. Poor thing.
00:18:58
Speaker 1: You know what? That's the memorial to that man, by the way.
00:19:01
Speaker 2: It's the memorial to John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated as the president of the United States, and his living relatives are watching this all take place. It's jaw-dropping.
00:19:15
Speaker 1: Can you imagine somebody trying to write their name in front of your loved ones on their tombstone? Just wherever you go, visit a grave site. Think about where you have gone. Visit a grave site. Just somebody bent down and wrote their name in front of your loved one.
00:19:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, above your loved one's name.
00:19:35
Speaker 1: Absolutely. Above.
00:19:37
Speaker 2: And now, first he had like raised letters. Now he wants to etch it into the tombstone. That's what's happening or that's what he'd like to happen. We shall see. But with that, everyone, we always appreciate you. listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside TJ Holmes. We'll talk soon.