Trump suggests renaming Pacific or Atlantic Ocean as ‘Trump Ocean’ or ‘Ocean of the Americas’

US President Donald Trump has suggested renaming either the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean after himself or the Americas. He made the remark at a rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on the evening of 10 October, according to TIME and Gray News. The remark has drawn coverage in Indian regional media, including Oneindia Tamil.

What Trump said

“Before I get out, I think we should have an ocean,” Trump said at the F&M Bank Arena, according to TIME. “We call it ‘Trump Ocean’ or ‘Ocean of the Americas,’ something like that.” Gray News reported his words slightly differently, as “We could call it Trump Ocean or Ocean of the Americans.”

Trump also said he wanted to rename “a great river” but ruled out the Hudson and the Mississippi. Speaking about Mississippi, he said, “I love Mississippi. We won that state by so much,” according to both outlets. No formal order to rename either ocean has been issued, Gray News reported.

Earlier renamings

TIME noted that both oceans are international waters that extend across the jurisdictions of many countries. A US president can direct federal naming agencies to use different names for government purposes, but other countries and private companies are not bound by them. Trump’s previous renaming moves include:

• January 2025: an executive order for federal agencies to use “Gulf of America” for the Gulf of Mexico, which Mexico disputed
• January 2025: restoring “Mount McKinley” as the federal name for Denali
• August 2026: an order to call Lake Ontario “Lake America”, which Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected
• September 2026: floating “New America” for New Mexico and “Trump Strait” for the Strait of Hormuz

Speaking about the Gulf of America, Trump told the rally that people had thought he was joking, but “It’s done,” TIME reported.

The rally was held in support of Senator Marsha Blackburn, the Republican candidate for Tennessee governor, and Senator Bill Hagerty, who is seeking re-election, ahead of the 3 November US midterm elections.

Sources: TIME, AZFamily (Gray News), Oneindia Tamil