Trump Floats Renaming the Atlantic Ocean After Himself, Then Says Google Refused
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At a rally in South Carolina, President Donald Trump bragged about asking Google CEO Sundar Pichai to rename the Atlantic Ocean after himself or the United States, but said the company declined the request. He also revisited his earlier map-renaming push, underscoring his ongoing obsession with symbolic nationalist stunts.
President Donald Trump told a rally in South Carolina that he had contacted Google chief executive Sundar Pichai to discuss renaming the Atlantic Ocean. He said he prefers only two oceans – the Atlantic and the Pacific – and wanted the Atlantic to bear his name or that of America, turning a global geographic feature into yet another vehicle for his personal branding.
"I called Google Maps, who were really great with the lake … They’re still rattled from the Gulf. I said: 'Sundar, I’m thinking of the Atlantic Ocean,'" Trump said. He recalled his earlier executive order that renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" and his effort to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America," measures that required U.S. federal agencies to use the new designations and highlighted how far he is willing to push performative nationalism. "No, no, no. This time I’m not doing it … Oceans are different, sir. They cover … a lot of countries. Please don’t ask us to do that," Trump said, describing Pichai’s response. Trump added that he would keep the name Atlantic Ocean. Google has not responded to requests for comment. The company previously adjusted map labels for U.S. users to show the renamed Gulf and lake alongside the traditional names, while users in Mexico and Canada continue to see the original names.