Trump demands New Mexico 'immediately' rename itself 'New America' and claims its elections are 'Crooked,' with no evidence offered (Oct. 19, 2026)

Case

On Oct. 19, 2026 Trump posted on Truth Social that New Mexico should immediately change its name to "New America," saying home values and incomes would rise and that "Crooked Elections" there would become honest. Fox News noted he offered no evidence for either claim; Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham rejected the idea, and the state constitution fixes the name "New Mexico."

What Trump said (Oct. 19, 2026)
On Oct. 19, 2026 Trump posted on Truth Social that New Mexico should immediately change its name to "New America," writing: "We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!"
He said the change would add "great value and prestige" and that "Home Values and Incomes would rise." He added: "Crooked Elections, that New Mexico is known for, would become honest again!" Fox News noted he offered no evidence for these claims.
Trump first floated the idea in September 2026, when he shared a map with "Mexico" crossed out and replaced with "America" (amplified by the White House's official X account) and told the Sept. 9 RNC midterm convention it should be called "New America."
Fox News reports the post outlines no formal renaming process, and that Article I of the New Mexico constitution states: "The name of this state is New Mexico."

Perspectives

Critic — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.)
Lujan Grisham told Fox News Digital the state's name "isn't up for debate" and has been New Mexico's "since before the United States existed." She said the White House was distracting from the state's work on child care, education, health care and housing, adding that it "wastes time coloring on maps."

Defender — Donald Trump (in his own terms)
Trump frames the rename as a patriotic and economic improvement: "We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America!", with higher home values, higher incomes and "honest" elections as the benefits. He said at the Sept. 9 convention that "the people love the idea." No further justification or evidence was found.

Editorial read — The Author (site author)
The Author regards the demand that a state rename itself "New America" as absurd, and the accompanying "Crooked Elections" line as an unevidenced attack on a state's voting before the midterms. This is the Author's view, not a finding of the cited sources.

Research notes
Drafted Oct. 21, 2026 by the automated daily scan. Low severity compared with other items; included because it repeats an unevidenced election-fraud claim about a state before the midterms. Not read: the Truth Social post itself (quoted via Fox News), CNN, Washington Post and The Hill pieces (blocked/paywalled). Whether a rename by Trump has any legal force: Fox says no process is outlined; no legal expert quoted yet.

Note
Trump offers no evidence that New Mexico's elections are dishonest or that a rename would raise home values and incomes; state officials call the name non-negotiable.

Sources
[1] Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-renews-push-rename-new-mexico-new-america-touts-higher-home-values-incomes) · 2026-10-19
[2] Washington Examiner (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/4771178/trump-new-mexico-change-name-new-america/) · 2026-10-19

Connections

Same context — Election denial and interference efforts before the Nov. 2026 midterms: pardons, the Tina Peters case, Georgia's federal-intervention letters and National Guard troops near a DC ballot box
Unevidenced 'Crooked Elections' claim about a state, weeks before the Nov. 2026 midterms.

Same actor — Renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario
Continues Trump's renaming push; Washington Examiner ties the New Mexico demand to his earlier renaming of Lake Ontario as 'Lake America.'