President Trump said Wednesday that he personally asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to rename the Atlantic Ocean on Google Maps, but the tech executive refused, according to the president's remarks at a rally in Clemson, South Carolina.
"We seriously looked at the Atlantic Ocean," Trump told the crowd, before recounting a conversation he said he had with Pichai. "I said, 'Sundar, I'm thinking of the Atlantic Ocean, can you handle it?'" The president said Pichai pushed back, responding, "No, no, no. This time I'm not doing it." Trump added that Pichai explained, "They cover ... a lot of countries, please don't ask us to do that."
The president did not specify what he wanted to call the Atlantic, but he said he would "probably pass" on pursuing the change. The Atlantic is the world's second-largest ocean, spanning multiple continents and international waters.
The remarks come amid Trump's broader push to rename geographic features through executive action. Earlier this year, he signed an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and in August he ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed Lake America. Both changes have been reflected on Google Maps for U.S. users, though Canadian users still see Lake Ontario, and users in other countries see both names.
Trump praised Google for complying with those earlier requests, calling Pichai "a brilliant guy." But the Atlantic request appears to have hit a limit, as Pichai reportedly cited the ocean's international nature.
The president's latest remarks follow a pattern of unilateral geographic rebranding. On Monday, he suggested New Mexico should change its name to "New America," a proposal that drew sharp rebukes from Democratic lawmakers in the state. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) wrote on X: "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."
The White House and Google have not yet responded to requests for comment on Trump's Atlantic Ocean claim. The episode underscores the ongoing tension between the administration and tech companies over politically charged naming decisions, as well as the limits of presidential influence over private platforms.
Trump's efforts to rename landmarks have been part of his broader nationalist agenda, but the Atlantic Ocean push may face legal and practical hurdles, given that international waters and foreign nations are involved. The president's admission that Pichai declined suggests that even friendly corporate relationships have boundaries.
As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Trump's geographic renaming campaign has become a recurring theme at his rallies, often drawing cheers from supporters. But critics argue it distracts from more pressing policy issues, including ongoing trade disputes and national security concerns.
