Trump says he sent Google a map labeled ‘Trump Ocean,’ and they called back to tell him ‘oceans are different’

During a rally in South Carolina, President Donald Trump told attendees that he asked Google to rename the Atlantic Ocean after himself or the country, but the company declined. As reported by The Guardian, Trump said he called Google CEO Sundar Pichai to see whether Google Maps could “handle” the change, since the company “were really great with the lake.”

During the event, Trump said, “I only like two oceans: the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. I’m not going to put either Trump or America on any other ocean but these two.” He said his team especially liked the Atlantic Ocean and claimed he then called Pichai and said, “Sundar, I’m thinking of the Atlantic Ocean.” Trump added that Google Maps was still “rattled from the Gulf” and that the company’s response was firm.

Trump told the rally that the response he received was, “No, no, no. This time I’m not doing it … Oceans are different, sir. They cover … a lot of countries. Please don’t ask us to do that.” The Guardian reported that he then told the crowd, “So I’ll probably pass. Should I pass it? I think let’s keep it the Atlantic Ocean.”

Google Maps follows Trump’s executive orders for American users

As the outlet noted, Trump previously issued executive orders renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and Lake Ontario as Lake America. Within the United States, Google Maps users can see the new names, often alongside the original names in parentheses, though the changes are not reflected for users in Canada or Mexico.

Trump told a version of the story at a rally in Dalton, Georgia, earlier this month, where he said he had sent Google “a little picture” labeled “The Trump Ocean,” according to CNN. At that rally, he also said he was “only kidding,” adding, “That time I was.”

According to PEOPLE, Trump first raised renaming an ocean during an executive order signing on Aug. 27. During a rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Oct. 10, he said he was considering calling the Atlantic or Pacific the Trump Ocean or the Ocean of the Americas, noting, “We’ve got the Gulf, we’ve got a beautiful lake, and now someone said, ‘You need a river,’” before adding that he had no plans to rename the Mississippi River.

PEOPLE noted that while the U.S. government can adjust landmark names on domestic maps, the president lacks the authority to force other nations or international bodies to adopt the changes. The outlet also noted that renaming landmarks has been a recurring theme of his administration, including changing Denali back to Mount McKinley, a name the Obama administration had changed in 2015 to honor Alaska Natives.

Earlier this year, Trump used TikTok to announce the change to Lake Ontario’s name during a trade dispute, per the outlet. He has also floated renaming the Strait of Hormuz to the Trump Strait, writing on Truth Social that it would be “hotter” than ever before.

So far, Google has not made any official statement regarding Trump’s claims about a conversation over the Atlantic Ocean.