WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump told supporters on Friday about his alleged attempt to have an ocean named after him and Google’s refusal to go along with the idea, reported German news agency dpa.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Georgia, Trump claimed he had suggested to representatives of the internet giant that either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean be renamed the “Trump Ocean”. According to Trump, they responded indignantly: “We’ve had it. That’s enough. We’re not doing any more.”
Trump had already renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” by executive order in 2025, followed by Lake Ontario, on the Canadian border, which he renamed “Lake America” in August this year. Google Maps adopted both changes for users in the United States.
Trump told supporters he had sent Google a map labelled “Trump Ocean”, but company representatives rejected the idea.
“Sir, look, okay, this one we can’t do. Oceans are different. Oceans cover many, many countries. We can’t do it,” Trump quoted them as saying.
Trump said he had only been joking this time, but added that it was not the worst idea he had ever had.
It was not immediately clear whether the exchange with Google had actually taken place.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that he would like to rename an ocean. He has also floated the idea of renaming the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait”, apparently in an attempt to provoke Iran, with which the US is at war.