U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that he considered renaming the Atlantic Ocean the “Trump Ocean,” but said Google CEO Sundar Pichai advised him to abandon the idea.
Trump discussed the proposal during a rally in Clemson, South Carolina, where he recounted a conversation with Pichai about the possibility of changing the ocean’s name.
According to Trump, Pichai, whom he described as a “brilliant man,” explained that oceans differ from bays and lakes because they extend across the territories of multiple countries.
Trump said the conversation led him to reconsider the proposal.
“So maybe I’ll give that up. I think it’s better to leave it as the Atlantic Ocean,” he said.
Trump has previously floated the idea of renaming the Atlantic Ocean, suggesting either “Trump Ocean” or “Ocean of America.”
The remarks follow his administration’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” a change reflected on Google Maps for users in the United States.
However, geographical name changes adopted by one country are not automatically recognized internationally. The names of oceans, which are widely used across national boundaries, cannot be changed globally through a unilateral decision by the U.S. president.
