Donald Trump reignited controversy over the Labor Day weekend by posting an AI-altered image on social media suggesting New Mexico be renamed "New America", prompting furious backlash from the state's Democratic politicians. The post, shared without comment from his Bedminster golf resort, followed a pattern of similar provocations from the president, including his earlier renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario to include "America". Despite the uproar, Trump has no actual authority to rename the state, as its name is enshrined in New Mexico's constitution and any change would need to originate within the state itself.

New Mexico's senior lawmakers responded swiftly and pointedly: Senator Ben Ray Luján called Trump a "sinvergüenza" (Spanish for shameless scoundrel), while Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury insisted the state's name "belongs to us". Senator Martin Heinrich vowed to keep using the correct names for the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Ontario and New Mexico, and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham dismissed the stunt as a distraction from rising prices linked to the Iran conflict, accusing the White House of "wasting time colouring on maps". Trump later escalated matters with an AI video of himself altering a "Welcome to New Mexico" road sign, amid an already tense relationship between the state and his administration over its handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein's former Zorro Ranch estate.