RismadarVoice Reporters
October 22, 2026
United States President Donald Trump has revealed that Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai rejected his suggestion to rename the Atlantic Ocean, arguing that the body of water borders several countries and cannot be treated as an exclusively American geographical feature.
Trump disclosed the development during a political rally in South Carolina on Wednesday, October 21, where he discussed his administration’s previous efforts to rename major geographical landmarks.
According to the president, he contacted Pichai to explore whether Google Maps could accommodate a proposed change to the Atlantic Ocean’s name.
Trump said he had been considering attaching either his name or that of the United States to one of the world’s major oceans.
However, he claimed that the Google chief executive declined the request because of the international nature of oceans and their geographical connections to multiple countries.
Recalling the conversation, Trump quoted Pichai as saying, “Oceans are different, sir. They cover a lot of countries.”
The president said he subsequently reconsidered the proposal and indicated that the Atlantic Ocean would retain its existing name.
Trump also raised the possibility of renaming the Pacific Ocean the “American Ocean,” although he did not announce any formal action to implement the suggestion.
The remarks follow his administration’s earlier decisions to introduce new names for other geographical features.
In January 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing United States federal agencies to use the name “Gulf of America” instead of “Gulf of Mexico.”
Google subsequently updated its mapping service to reflect the designation for users in the United States, while maintaining different naming displays in other countries.
Trump also pursued the renaming of Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” an initiative that attracted attention because the lake is shared by the United States and Canada.
During the South Carolina rally, the president praised Google’s previous cooperation with his administration’s geographical naming changes.
However, his account suggested that the technology company was unwilling to extend the same approach to the Atlantic Ocean.
Google had not independently confirmed the reported conversation with Pichai as of Thursday.
The president’s remarks have renewed discussions about the distinction between domestic naming decisions and internationally recognised geographical names.
The Atlantic Ocean borders countries across Europe, Africa, North America and South America, making its name a matter of international geographical usage rather than a designation controlled by a single nation.
For now, the Atlantic Ocean retains its established name, with no official announcement of a change.
