US President Donald Trump has once again raised the idea of renaming the Atlantic Ocean the «American Ocean», explaining his choice by saying that it is ‘closer to Washington’. During a speech on 1 November, the politician claimed that Google’s Chief Executive Sundar Pichai had allegedly phoned him personally and asked him to drop the idea. Trump later clarified that he had merely been joking.
- Trump suggested renaming the Atlantic Ocean the ‘American Ocean’ because of its proximity to Washington.
- According to the president, the head of Google asked him to call off the renaming.
- Trump claims that Pichai cited the interests of 27 countries.
- The US President clarified that his suggestion was merely a joke.
Trump described how the head of Google reacted to his proposal
During a campaign rally in Kansas, the US President returned to the subject of renaming geographical features. According to him, following the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario He decided to focus on one of the oceans.
Trump He explained that he had considered two options — the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans — but ultimately chose the Atlantic because of its proximity to the US capital.
The President claims that he has approached Google Maps with a proposal to change the name to «American Ocean».
According to him, the Chief Executive Officer of Google Sundar Pichai He rang him personally and asked him not to go ahead with the renaming.
Trump quoted the company’s chief executive, who allegedly explained that the ocean spans 27 countries and that such a decision would create significant difficulties for the mapping service.
«I was just joking,» said the US President, recounting his conversation with Pichai.
Google has not publicly confirmed the content of the conversation described by Trump.
Google has already changed geographical names following Trump’s decisions
This is not the first time the US President has taken the initiative to rename geographical features.
In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order mandating the use of the name «Gulf of America» instead of the Gulf of Mexico in US federal documents. Subsequently, Google Maps began displaying the new name for US users.
In August 2026, the President also signed a decree renaming Lake Ontario «Lake America» for federal use in the US.
Google. She explained that she is updating geographical names in line with official government registers. However, users in Canada continue to see the name «Lake Ontario», whilst in other countries the service displays both versions.
Unlike a bay or a lake, the Atlantic Ocean borders a large number of countries. Even an official decision by Washington to change the name would not oblige other countries to use the American version.
Trump had already raised the issue of renaming the Atlantic Ocean during speeches on 21–23 October. At the time, he was also considering the name «Trump Ocean», but stated that, following a conversation with the head of Google, he would probably abandon the idea.
