President Donald Trump has renewed calls for New Mexico to be rebranded "New America," claiming that the name change would "add great value and prestige" to the state and increase home values and incomes.
"New Mexico should immediately change its name to New America," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Monday. "We are not Mexico, we are the United States of America! The name would add great value and prestige to the State! Home Values and Incomes would rise, and you would be even prouder while saluting our beautiful American Flag! Maybe even the Crooked Elections, that New Mexico is known for, would become honest again!"
The president had already pushed for the name change last month, sharing a mock-up of a New Mexico state map with the word "Mexico" struck through and replaced with "America" on his social media platform. In a separate post, he stated that "many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico" to "New America," which he described as a "much more prestigious and beautiful" name for the state.
The suggestion fits into Trump’s efforts to rebrand geographic landmarks and places with a patriotic twist, including the Gulf of Mexico—which he renamed "Gulf of America"—and Lake Ontario, which he has designated "Lake America."
What Would A Name Change Do to Home Values?
The average value of a typical New Mexico home is currently $315,812, up 1.7 percent over the past year, according to Zillow data. By comparison, the national average home value is now $366,157, up 1.2 percent from a year earlier, based on the real estate marketplace.
While still lower than the national average, home values have risen significantly in the state since the pandemic, driven by low inventory and higher demand. In January 2020, according to Zillow historic data, the average New Mexico home value was just above $203,000.
According to Realtor.com senior economist Anthony Smith, "there isn’t any current evidence that a rebrand would increase property values state-wide," in New Mexico or anywhere else.
"Home values rise or fall due to a variety of factors such as employment opportunities, school quality, infrastructure investment, and the pull of views, lifestyle and amenities," Smith told Newsweek. "We see this across New Mexico. Los Alamos has strong employment anchoring its higher property values, and Santa Fe draws buyers with its views, culture and luxury amenities."
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New Mexico already has direct experience with a rebrand.
"In 1950, the town of Hot Springs renamed itself Truth or Consequences to win a promotion from a radio show of the same name, in hopes of attracting publicity, tourism and investment," Smith said.
"Without significant investment or new economic drivers behind it, the new name left T or C a small town with an intriguing name, but not a boom in property values or population," he added. "The name change took place in March of 1950, with a population of 4,700. That number increased by 300 over the next decade, and latest figures show an estimate of just over 6,000. Its median listing price is just under $250k, well below the state-wide median of $399,000."
Rising Home Values Would Not Necessarily Be a Good Outcome
In the midst of a housing affordability crisis that has touched every state across the country, a rise in home values would only benefit those who already own a home, while hurting anyone who has not stepped onto the property ladder yet.
"If prices were to rise without a matching rise in incomes or supply make homeownership harder to reach, and they mostly benefit people who already own," Smith said. "New Mexico is already stretched: it earned a C- in Realtor.com’s 2026 State Report Cards, with a median listing price of about $399,000 against a median household income of $64,393."
A more helpful benefit for New Mexico would be "a stronger economy and more homes coming from more job opportunities, and more flexible local zoning and permitting rules that make it easier for builders to add supply," Smith said. "Those changes address affordability directly, which a name change cannot."
How Have New Mexico Officials Reacted?
U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez, a New Mexico Democrat running for re-election, hit back at Trump’s comment on Monday with a post on social media, saying: "Shouldn’t the President be spending his time figuring out how to lower prices for Americans? Of course he’s not."
U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján, also a New Mexico Democrat, wrote on X: "New Mexico’s name dates back hundreds of years, long before the United States even existed. It carries generations of history, culture, and rich traditions that continue to shape who we are. 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."
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New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham also dismissed the president’s suggestion, writing on social media: "This tired ‘New America’ bit again? You have to ask — what policy failure is Trump trying to distract Americans from this time? Let me repeat: New Mexico was New Mexico long before the United States existed and we’ll be New Mexico forevermore."
Republicans in the state also rejected the president’s idea of a name change last month, with Gregg Hull, Republican candidate for governor, saying "New Mexico does not need a new name."
Can Trump Change New Mexico’s Name?
The U.S. president has no legal authority to rename any state, so Trump is unable to issue an executive order—as he has done for the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario—to rebrand New Mexico.
Voters in the "Land of Enchantment" would need to approve an amendment to the state’s constitution for a name change, throwing their support behind a statewide ballot measure first passed by the state legislature. This is an unlikely move considering that every major statewide office in New Mexico is currently held by a Democrat.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Tony Phillips.