Trump promoted the idea over the Labor Day weekend through a series of social media posts and maps depicting New Mexico as “New America.” He said the proposed name was more prestigious and suggested he had received the idea from supporters. The posts came amid heightened U.S.-Mexico trade tensions and followed Trump’s recent effort to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, rejected the proposal, saying the state’s name has historical roots that predate the United States. New Mexico became a U.S. state in 1912, but the name has been used for the region since the Spanish colonial period. The state is currently represented by Democrats in Congress, and the proposal has drawn opposition from state officials.