Donald Trump claims Google CEO refused his request to rename the Atlantic Ocean to ‘Trump Ocean’

Donald Trump has claimed that Google rejected his idea to rename the Atlantic Ocean on its Google Maps app. Speaking at a rally in South Carolina on Wednesday, the president said he called Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, to ask whether they’d change the name of an ocean for him.

“I only like two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. I’m 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 … They’re still rattled from the Gulf. I said: ‘Sundar, I’m thinking of the Atlantic Ocean,’” Trump said.

According to Trump, Pichai rejected the latest proposal, explaining that oceans were different because they covered numerous countries. Trump described the Google CEO’s response by saying, “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. So I’ll probably pass. Should I pass it? I think let’s keep it the Atlantic Ocean.” Nonetheless, Trump heaped praise on the Google boss and company cofounder Sergey Brin, calling them “totally brilliant guys.”

Other countries have not adopted the new titles

Trump previously suggested renaming either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean as the “Trump Ocean” or the “Ocean of the Americas.” He also proposed calling the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait” and renaming New Mexico “New America.” On his first day back in office, the president signed an order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. In August, amid an ongoing trade dispute with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump signed an order renaming Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes, Lake America.

The legal reality of these changes is nuanced. While the U.S. government can adjust landmark names on domestic maps, the Associated Press notes that Trump cannot compel other nations or international organizations to adopt these new titles. Despite these international limitations, online mapping apps such as Google have generally opted to display the president’s new names for U.S. users.

On Google Maps, US users see the locations labeled as “Gulf of America” and “Lake America,” with search results displaying the new names followed by the original names in parentheses. However, users in Mexico and Canada continue to see only the original names. Google has not responded to the media’s request for comments, as of publication.