Staff Reports
President Donald Trump is calling once again for New Mexico to change its name to “New America,” while politicians from both parties rejected the idea Oct. 19.
Trump made the call in a social media post and said the name change would add value and prestige to the state. He also said New Mexico was known for “crooked elections.”
DEMOCRATS RESPOND
Daniel Garcia, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of New Mexico, criticized Trump and New Mexico Republicans after the post.
“If voters needed to know before election day if the Republicans put MAGA over New Mexico, just look at how Republicans either grossly downplay or even condone Trump’s call to rename our state,” he said. “Sadly, New Mexican Republicans are too MAGA and cowardly to ever disagree with Trump, even when it’s at the expense of our home.”
Garcia also debated whether or not Trump’s post was a joke.
“Whether Trump genuinely finds his own lame jokes funny or is just a deranged moron posting on social media all day—he reality is probably both,” Garcia said. “But the real joke is the abysmal Republican voter turnout this election, proving that having an immature fool as president is no laughing matter to voters.”
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued her own statement saying the following:
“This tired ‘New America’ bit again? You have to ask — what policy failure is Trump trying to distract Americans from this time?” she wrote on social media.
Democratic nominee for governor, Deb Haaland, issued the following statement in response to President Trump:
“New Mexico is New Mexico, and you lost here three times because you’re corrupt and don’t care about working people. You should be focused on ending this war, stopping these tariffs, and making things less expensive–not renaming our state.”
REPUBLICAN RESPONSE
Gregg Hull, the Republican nominee for New Mexico governor, also rejected the idea in a statement.
“I stand by my original statement—New Mexico does not need a new name,” he said. Our identity is defined by our rich culture, our beautiful landscape, and the resilience of our people. That identity is never up for negotiation. EVER.”
NEW MEXICO’S SECRETARY OF STATE RESPONDS TO A DIFFERENT ISSUE
New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver took issue with President Trump’s criticism of the state’s election process. In her own statement, she said:
“President Trump continues to push tired and patently false narratives about our voting process in New Mexico. He must stop insulting the intelligence of this state’s voters.”
She pointed to the fact that the state leads in election accuracy with hand-marked paper ballots, multiple mandatory post-election audits and continual voter roll maintenance.
