President Wants to Rename Atlantic or Pacific the ‘Trump Ocean’

President Donald Trump is setting his sights on an even bigger addition to the map of America, suggesting that either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean could someday carry his name.

During a campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday, October 10, Trump entertained the possibility of renaming one of the world’s largest oceans the “Trump Ocean,” continuing his unusual push to rename prominent geographical landmarks.

Speaking to supporters at F&M Bank Arena, the 80-year-old president joked that his administration had already claimed a gulf and a lake but still needed a river and an ocean to complete the collection.

“So, I was thinking of either the Atlantic or the Pacific. We call it Trump Ocean or Ocean of the Americans, something like that,” Trump told the crowd.

He then suggested the idea could become reality before he leaves the White House.

“No, before I get out, I think we should have an ocean, and we need a great river,” he said.

Trump ruled out renaming two of America’s best-known waterways, saying he respected the history of the Hudson River and had no intention of changing the Mississippi River’s name.

Although the comments appeared playful, Trump’s previous remarks about renaming geographical landmarks have sometimes resulted in official government action.

On his first day back in office in January 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to adopt the name “Gulf of America” in place of the Gulf of Mexico. The administration also restored the name Mount McKinley to Alaska’s highest mountain, reversing a change made under former President Barack Obama.

Trump took another significant step on August 27, 2026, when he signed Executive Order 14422, officially directing federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”

That decision fueled tensions with Canada, which shares the massive freshwater lake with the United States. Canadian officials rejected the change, emphasizing that Washington cannot unilaterally dictate what other countries call a shared body of water.

The president has also floated the possibility of renaming New Mexico as “New America” and referring to the strategically important Strait of Hormuz as the “Trump Strait.” Neither proposal has resulted in a comparable official change.

But renaming an entire ocean would present an even greater challenge.

Unlike a landmark located entirely within U.S. territory, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans stretch across international waters and border numerous countries. While Trump could seek changes to American government maps and federal documents, he could not force foreign governments or international organizations to recognize a new name.

That distinction makes his latest suggestion more complicated than the earlier changes involving the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario.

The president’s interest in leaving his name on major institutions extends beyond geography.

His administration has also placed Trump’s name on the U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters in Washington, while a separate controversy over efforts to rebrand the Kennedy Center has resulted in legal disputes concerning the future of the nationally recognized cultural institution.

The naming controversy comes as Trump continues expressing frustration over his failure to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

On October 9, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Peace Prize to South African human rights lawyer Navi Pillay for her work promoting international law and accountability.

Trump criticized the decision, arguing that his administration deserved recognition for its efforts to resolve international conflicts. He has repeatedly claimed credit for ending eight wars, although the extent of his role in several of those conflicts remains disputed.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado previously presented Trump with her own Nobel Peace Prize medal, but the symbolic gesture did not make him an official recipient of the award.

For now, Trump’s latest ocean proposal remains just that: a public suggestion rather than an announced government policy.

No executive order renaming either ocean has been announced, and Trump has not indicated which body of water he would ultimately choose.

Still, given his administration’s track record of turning unexpected naming proposals into federal directives, the president’s remarks have raised a question that would once have seemed unthinkable: Could Americans eventually see “Trump Ocean” printed on official U.S. maps?