
Trump says he asked Google CEO to rename Atlantic Ocean on Maps
The tech company previously complied with his demands to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, which is shown on Google Maps for US users
Donald Trump said Google rejected his request to rename the Atlantic Ocean after himself or America.
Speaking at a rally in South Carolina on Wednesday, the president said he had called Google CEO Sundar Pichai to ask whether the company could âÂÂhandleâ his proposal.
âÂÂI only like two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. IâÂÂm not going to put either Trump or America on any other ocean but these two. So we seriously looked at the Atlantic Ocean, and I called Google Maps, who were really great with the lake ⦠TheyâÂÂre still rattled from the Gulf. I said: âÂÂSundar, IâÂÂm thinking of the Atlantic Ocean,âÂÂâ Trump said.
Trump referenced his previous executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, as well as his push to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America amid a trade feud between the US and Canada, for which he also signed an executive order requiring US federal agencies to use his new moniker.
According to Trump, Pichai rejected the latest proposal. Trump described the Google CEOâÂÂs response by saying, âÂÂNo, no, no. This time IâÂÂm not doing it ⦠Oceans are different, sir. They cover ⦠a lot of countries. Please donâÂÂt ask us to do that.âÂÂ
âÂÂSo IâÂÂll probably pass. Should I pass it?â Trump said, adding: âÂÂI think letâÂÂs keep it the Atlantic Ocean.âÂÂ
The Guardian has reached out to Google for comment.
Google has previously acceded to TrumpâÂÂs demands for name changes, which triggered public criticism including from Mexico and Canada. On Google Maps, the locations themselves are labeled âÂÂGulf of Americaâ and âÂÂLake Americaâ for US users, while search results display the new names alongside the original names in parentheses. Users in Mexico and Canada, meanwhile, continue to see the original names.
Trump has also previously floated renaming the strait of Hormuz after himself. Last month, amid the USâÂÂs ongoing war with Iran, he wrote on Truth Social: âÂÂShould we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be âÂÂhotterâ than ever before!âÂÂ
