Lawmakers from New Mexico have urged Apple and Google not to rename the state on their mapping apps after President Donald Trump suggested restyling it as “New America.” On Thursday, the state’s congressional delegation — five Democrats — sent letters to the executives of both tech companies, asking them to “publicly commit” to keeping New Mexico on Apple Maps and Google Maps. Last month, amid his trade war with Canada, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” Last January, he signed a similar order rebranding the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” While the president can direct how the federal government refers to geographic features, he cannot compel foreign nations, private entities or even U.S. states to follow his lead. Yet, both Google and Apple have updated their maps so that users in the U.S. see the new Trump-given names for both the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario.
The New Mexico lawmakers described these changes as “disappointing but unsurprising,” pointing out that both companies “have significant business interests before the federal government.” Since Trump’s return to office, the two companies have seemingly moved to cozy up with the administration. Both donated to Trump’s planned White House ballroom project, and executives from each attended his second inauguration last January. In a separate gesture last year, then-Apple CEO Tim Cook presented Trump with a 24-karat gold statue.
The state’s delegation includes Senators Ben Ray Luján and Martin Heinrich, and Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández, Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez. The Independent has contacted Google and Apple for comment. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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