Google Maps to Reflect Trump’s Executive Order Renaming Key U.S. Landmarks, Company Says

Donald J. Trump

Google announced on Tuesday that it will update its Google Maps application in the United States to reflect the new names for two significant geographic features, as directed by President Donald Trump.

The executive order was among the first of a slew of actions signed by the newly-sworn in president on the evening of his inauguration. The order, dubbed “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” renames the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” and returns the name “Mount McKinley” to North America’s highest peak, renamed “Denali” in 2015 during the Obama administration.

The move underscores Trump’s commitment to “America First” policy stances  and emphasizes national identity and historical recognition.

Google stated on its official X account, “We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”

The company clarified that for geographic features within the U.S., updates to the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) serve as the trigger for these map changes. “When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and the Gulf of America,” the statement continued.

However, Google also addressed the international implications of these changes. “Also longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.” So while U.S. users  see the new names, those outside the U.S. will see both the updated U.S. names and the traditional ones.

Trump supporters celebrate the decision as a return to traditional American names, befitting the president’s narrative of national pride and heritage. Critics predictably argue that the decision to rename Denali back to Mount McKinley disregards the cultural considerations of Alaska Natives. The Gulf of Mexico’s renaming also raised eyebrows internationally, particularly in Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum sarcastically suggested during a press briefing in early January to a reciprocal renaming of North America to “Mexican America.”

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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on X at @christinakb.
Photo “Donald J. Trump” by Donald J. Trump.

 

 

 

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2 Thoughts to “Google Maps to Reflect Trump’s Executive Order Renaming Key U.S. Landmarks, Company Says”

  1. Joe Blow

    I do not have much of an opinion on these two items, but I sure do when it comes to the names of military bases.

  2. Larry Hattis

    I would think that there are far more important issues to take care of than renaming Key U.S. Landmarks . I am not sure about just how executive orders work but if they are not made official laws the the next administration can change or totally abolish them . So in the end it’s a waste of taxpayer money. Sometimes so called smart people can be just as stupid as a bucket of rocks.

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