News 3 min read By Mason Emerson
Trump Says He Asked Google CEO to Rename Atlantic Ocean on Maps
President Donald Trump told a South Carolina rally that he called Google CEO Sundar Pichai about changing the Atlantic Ocean's name on Google Maps, and that Pichai pushed back on the request.
President Donald Trump said he personally called Google CEO Sundar Pichai to ask whether the Atlantic Ocean could be renamed on Google Maps, telling supporters at a South Carolina rally that the request did not go as he hoped. The remark, delivered during a Tuesday evening appearance at Clemson University, extended Trump's recent pattern of pushing to rename major bodies of water after himself or the United States.
According to Trump's account, he raised the idea directly with Pichai and was turned down. «I only like two...» the president began, before describing the exchange with the Google chief executive, who he said resisted the proposal. Trump has already renamed two bodies of water after America, and he indicated during the rally that he wanted to add the Atlantic to that list.
The Atlantic Ocean is one of the most recognized geographic features on the planet and a central label on digital mapping services used by billions of people. Google Maps draws its place names from a combination of official sources, international naming conventions and its own editorial decisions, and the company has generally treated large international bodies of water as fixed geographic references rather than items subject to unilateral rebranding.
Trump's comments fit a broader effort by his administration and allies to attach American branding to prominent landmarks and institutions. The president has repeatedly floated naming changes that would place his name or the country's name on internationally known places, a habit that has drawn both support from followers and criticism from opponents who view it as an attempt to rewrite shared geography.
The rally setting at Clemson University placed the anecdote within a familiar political format for Trump, who often uses campaign-style speeches to recount private conversations with business leaders and to test applause lines. The Atlantic Ocean story landed as one of the evening's lighter moments, but it also illustrated how directly the president has been willing to approach corporate executives with requests tied to national symbolism.
Google has not publicly commented on the exchange, and there is no indication that the company has altered any map labels in response. Pichai, who has led Google since 2015, has met with Trump during his presidency, and the two have had a working relationship that has included discussions of technology policy and the company's role in public life.
The episode is unlikely to produce a change to Google Maps, but it adds to a running record of Trump's interest in renaming geography. For now, the Atlantic Ocean remains labeled as it has been, and the president's request appears to have ended with a conversation rather than a cartographic revision.
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