Trump says Google refused to rename an ocean after him

President Donald Trump told supporters that Google executives rejected his suggestion to rename one of the world's oceans after him, saying the company pushed back with words he paraphrased as: "We're fed up. Enough. We're not doing anything more."

What Trump says happened

Speaking at a campaign rally in the state of Georgia, Trump said he had proposed renaming either the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean to "Ocean Trump" and that he sent Google a map showing the proposed label. According to his account, company representatives told him they would not go along.

Trump quoted the Google response as: "Sir, listen, we can't do this. Oceans are something else. Oceans encompass many, many countries. We can't do that." He added that on this occasion he was joking, though he still described the idea as not a bad one.

By way of context, Trump has previously used executive orders to change geographic names: in 2025 he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed "Gulf of America," and in August 2026 he issued an order renaming Lake Ontario at the U.S.–Canada border to "Lake America." Google Maps applied those name changes for users in the United States.

Trump has also floated renaming the Strait of Hormuz to the "Trump Strait," an idea observers said appeared intended to provoke Iran, with which the United States is at war. The episode underscores how mapping platforms and presidential actions can collide with international norms and the practices of private technology firms during a heated campaign.

Photo: Vi