Gregg Hull, Republican candidate for governor in New Mexico, balked at President Donald Trump's push to rename the state as "New America." In a post to Truth Social earlier on Monday, the president said, "New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America. We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!" He said the name change would add great "value and prestige," adding that incomes and home values would rise. "Maybe even the Crooked Elections, that New Mexico is known for, would become honest again!" Trump said.
Hull responded to the president's idea in a post to X on Monday night, saying in part that he stands by his original statement that "New Mexico does not need a new name." This is not the first time the president has floated the idea. In September, he posted a picture depicting the state with Mexico crossed out and America written below. During his time in office, the president has also rebranded the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and Lake Ontario to Lake America.
He has also floated renaming the Strait of Hormuz as the "Trump Strait" amid the country's ongoing war with Iran. When reached about Hull's remarks, the White House referred Newsweek to the president's comments. Hull added in his post on X that the state's identity is rooted in rich culture, beautiful landscape and the resilience of its people.
"That identity is never up for negotiation. He added that the people of New Mexico are focused on good-paying jobs, taxes and an economy that works for families, energy independence and relief from rising costs. "That is where my focus is, and that is what the campaign is about," Hull concluded.
Midterm elections are commonly viewed as a test of the political environment facing the party in power, and the president's party has historically lost seats during them. Trump lost New Mexico during the 2024 presidential election to then-Vice President Kamala Harris by roughly 6 percent. Trump's overall approval rating and ranking on specific policy issues like the economy, immigration, jobs and the ongoing war in Iran have slipped as households across America are consistently flagging affordability concerns.
Gas prices in New Mexico, meanwhile, are above the national average, according to AAA. On Monday, a gallon of regular gasoline there cost $4.3465 compared to the national average of $4.2953. Last month, an article in the Albuquerque Journal ripped into the president's proposal of renaming the state, calling it, "so elementary and such low-hanging fruit, the biggest surprise was that it took so long for him to make it." In the op-ed by journalist Ryan Boetel he continued, saying, "My advice: Don't waste your breath," he said.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
