Trump says Google turned down his request to rename Atlantic Ocean
The tech giant previously adopted the names Gulf of America and Lake America for US users on Google Maps following the president’s demands.
US President Donald Trump has said Google CEO Sundar Pichai rejected his proposal to rename the Atlantic Ocean after himself or the United States.
Speaking at a rally in South Carolina on Wednesday, Trump recounted calling Pichai to ask whether Google would consider the idea, referring to the company's earlier decisions to adopt new names for other bodies of water, reports The Guardian.
Trump said he had considered renaming the Atlantic Ocean and contacted Google about the proposal, adding that the company had already faced controversy over its handling of previous name changes.
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"I said: 'Sundar, I'm thinking of the Atlantic Ocean,'" Trump said, recounting the conversation.
According to Trump, Pichai declined, arguing that oceans were different because they extended across multiple countries.
Trump quoted the Google chief executive as saying: "Oceans are different, sir. They cover … a lot of countries. Please don't ask us to do that."
Trump then suggested he would abandon the proposal, telling the audience: "So I'll probably pass. Should I pass it?" He added: "I think let's keep it the Atlantic Ocean."
The US president's remarks follow his earlier push to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
He also sought to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America amid a trade dispute with Canada and signed an executive order directing US federal agencies to use the new name.
Google has adopted the names Gulf of America and Lake America on Google Maps for users in the United States. In search results, the new names appear alongside the original names in parentheses. Users in Mexico and Canada continue to see the original names.
The earlier changes drew criticism, including from Mexico and Canada.
Trump has also floated renaming the Strait of Hormuz after himself.
Last month, amid the ongoing US war with Iran, he wrote on Truth Social: "Should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be 'hotter' than ever before!"
