Story perspectives

Trump Says He Asked Google to Rename Atlantic Ocean

By Drooid · Oct 23, 2026, 10:56 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump said he asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to rename the Atlantic Ocean on Maps.
Pichai allegedly replied, “No, no, no. This time I’m not doing it,” citing oceans span many countries.
Trump claimed Google renamed the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario for U.S. users after his orders.
No executive order exists for the Atlantic rename and Google has not confirmed the conversation.

History

Historical Context

The United States Board on Geographic Names, created by President Benjamin Harrison’s 1890 executive order, centralizes federal place-name decisions and holds over two million records. Its authority expanded under President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and was restored after World II. Donald Trump’s 2026 order to rename a major lake shows modern political use of that historic mandate, while Google remains outside its jurisdiction.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump said he asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai to rename the Atlantic Ocean on Maps.
Pichai allegedly replied, “No, no, no. This time I’m not doing it,” citing oceans span many countries.
Trump claimed Google renamed the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario for U.S. users after his orders.
No executive order exists for the Atlantic rename and Google has not confirmed the conversation.

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