Multiple social media posts from the US President suggested renaming New Mexico to "New America," and congressional representatives have preemptively asked Apple and Google not to rename the state.
The United States President has begun using the names on the map as some kind of negotiating tactic in ongoing trade wars he started. After executive orders changed The Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario in the GNIS database, Apple Maps reflected that change.
According to a report from The Washington Post, Democratic congressional representatives from New Mexico have asked Apple and Google to not comply if another name change is attempted. The requests have been made after multiple social media posts from the President, but no executive order or official plans have been made.
The request appears to be as performative as the President's social media posts, because Apple and Google have no say in the matter. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database run by the federal government, which is affected by executive orders, and what the companies draw from for local place names.
In using the database, Apple and Google must use the names or risk being barred from access to the system. They can file formal complaints, but that's about it.
Apple Maps didn't update Lake Ontario until GNIS was updated and pushed the change to their backend. Google, however, made the change to Google Maps immediately following the executive order being signed.
If the congressional representatives of New Mexico want something done, they could raise the concern in Washington and utilize the powers Congress has at its disposal. Instead, they've pointlessly written a letter to companies that have no horse in the race.
The United States President doesn't have the power to change the name of a state, even with executive order. While he may attempt some loophole, like forcing a map name change without an official name change, no move has been made yet.
In this particular case, these whims may just be more hot air to distract from the numerous issues plaguing the administration. All I would ask of these members of Congress is this: focus on solving the problem instead of going after those that have no control over the problem.
