H.R.1161: Will Trump rename Greenland to Red, White, and Blueland?

In amongst the already bizarre early months of Donald Trump’s presidency, perhaps the strangest throughline has been his aggressive diplomatic manoeuvres. Whether he’s floating the idea of making Canada the 51st state of the U.S., renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, or seeking to seize the Panama Canal, the president seems intent on fanning controversial flames on the global scale. That’s where Greenland comes in. 

Ever since his first term, Trump has toyed with the idea of purchasing the semi-autonomous island — currently a part of the Kingdom of Denmark — but this quest has ramped up in recent months. The president claims the acquisition of Greenland would benefit national security, given that it offers the shortest route from North America to Europe. The waters of Greenland are also gateways for Russian and Chinese vessels, which Trump aims to track.

Amid all the confusion of Trump’s proposal, one Republican politician sought to further the president’s goals by introducing a bill that sought to rename Greenland to Red, White, and Blueland.

The Greenland rename was introduced by Buddy Carter.

Rep Earl Carter (R-GA) introduces legislation “authorizing President Trump to acquire Greenland and renaming it Red, White, and Blueland”

— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) February 11, 2025

The name of Red, White, and Blueland was first floated by Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia, who introduced to Congress H.R.1161, a two-page bill that would authorize Trump to enter negotiations with Denmark to acquire Greenland. If successful, the bill suggested Trump rename the island to Red, White, and Blueland. The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, to oversee the implementation of Greenland’s renaming on federal documents inside the U.S. 

This would be achieved through the Board of Geographic Names, which was the same avenue through which Trump successfully renamed the Gulf of Mexico. “Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to Greenland shall be deemed to be a reference to ‘Red, White, and Blueland,” the bill reads.

Will Trump’s renaming of Greenland be successful?

RT for Red, White, & Blueland 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/DK7QjlxDXj

— Buddy Carter (@RepBuddyCarter) February 11, 2025

At the time of writing, Carter’s bill has been referred to the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources for further consideration however, it’s unclear how much support it will have. Some prominent Republicans have backed Trump’s efforts to enter negotiations with Denmark for the acquisition, but their thoughts on the specific name of Red, White, and Blueland are less clear. 

While, if successful, the renaming would come into effect on federal documents within the U.S., it’s unlikely that usage of Red, White, and Blueland would reach international levels. For instance, the name Gulf of America is only visible on services like Google Maps for U.S. users, while it remains Gulf of Mexico for Mexican users. 

Greenland itself has opposed the idea.

BREAKING: Greenland’s prime minister slaps Donald Trump down after the MAGA maniac claims that America owning the island is “an absolute necessity.”

The world is already sick of Trump’s garbage…

“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale,” said Prime… pic.twitter.com/usr52LnEg3

— Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) December 24, 2024

While Carter counts himself as a proponent of renaming Greenland, politicians within the island itself are less enthused by Trump’s attempts to acquire it. Responding to Trump’s comments — which included him not ruling out the use of military force — Greenland’s current leader, Múte B. Egede, reiterated that the island “is not for sale and will never be for sale” A retaliatory petition, titled Denmarkification, was launched in Greenland and calls on Denmark to buy the state of California. So far, the petition has collected over 250,000 signatures.