Former US President Donald Trump once approached Google CEO Sundar Pichai with an unusual request: to rename the Atlantic Ocean. This revelation came during a rally in South Carolina, where Trump recounted his conversation with the tech executive.
According to Trump, he inquired whether Google Maps could facilitate changing the name of the Atlantic Ocean, potentially to “Trump Ocean” or “Ocean of the Americas.” However, Pichai reportedly explained that such a change was not possible due to the vast international nature of the ocean, which borders numerous countries.
Google's CEO Explains International Borders Challenge
Trump quoted Pichai as stating, “No, no, no. This time I’m not doing it. Oceans are different, sir. They cover really a lot of countries. Please don't ask us to do that.” Trump ultimately told the rally attendees that he would likely “pass” on the idea, concluding, “I think let's keep it the Atlantic Ocean.”
This was not the first time Trump had suggested renaming geographical features. Previously, Google had updated its US labels for the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario to the “Gulf of America” and “Lake America,” respectively, following executive orders from his administration. However, these changes were localized; users in Mexico and Canada, and indeed most of the world, continued to see the original names, sometimes with Trump’s suggested names in brackets.
Previous Renaming Proposals
Beyond the Atlantic, Trump had also floated ideas such as renaming the Pacific Ocean, or even New Mexico to “New America,” and the Strait of Hormuz to the “Trump Strait.” The interaction with Pichai highlights the unique challenges involved when proposals impact internationally shared resources and digital mapping services that serve a global audience.
Google did not immediately comment on the reported conversation.