Michelle Lujan Grisham runs the most dangerous state in America and its worst school system.
Donald Trump posted a joke online and she spent her Sunday writing a rebuttal.
And Donald Trump suggested one name change that sent New Mexico’s Democrat Governor into a rage.
What Trump Actually Did
Trump posted a video on Truth Social showing himself walking over to New Mexico's welcome sign and slapping a sticker over the word "Mexico" so it read "America" – while "YMCA" blasted in the background.
He also dropped a caption calling New Mexico "one of the great vote cheating states of all time" and suggested the new name "New America" would be "so much more prestigious and beautiful."
The White House reposted the image on its official X account.
Nobody announced a formal proposal to rename the state.
https://twitter.com/OffThePress1/status/2097323721123930206?s=20
It was one of 34 Truth Social posts Trump fired off in under an hour – alongside images of himself photoshopped as Hulk Hogan.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham did not take it that way.
The Governor's Response Told You Everything
Grisham fired back on X the same day, declaring that New Mexico's name "isn't up for debate" because it's "been ours since before the United States existed."
“New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed,” she wrote. “What is up for debate? Who’s showing up for working families.”
Here's the part she left out: Spanish explorers named the region "Nuevo México" in 1563 – because they believed the area contained wealthy civilizations similar to the Aztec empire.
The modern country of Mexico didn't adopt that name until 1821 – more than 250 years later.
So the governor's big historical defense is built on a fact she apparently doesn't know.
She then pivoted to attacking Trump's "disastrous war in Iran" and rising grocery prices – which is exactly what you do when you don't want anyone looking at your own record.
Look at What She Has Actually Built
Grisham claimed in her post that under her Democratic leadership, New Mexico is "doing the work" – providing free childcare, college, and healthcare.
U.S. News and World Report ranked New Mexico 47th out of 50 states for overall quality of life.
https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2096973722137624709?s=20
Dead last in education – 50th out of 50.
40th in economy.
40th in healthcare.
45th in infrastructure.
48th in crime.
WalletHub ranked New Mexico the worst state in America to raise a family – last in median family income, tied for last in violent crime per capita, and near the bottom in child poverty and divorce rates.
The violent crime rate in New Mexico runs more than twice the national average, according to FBI data.
That is what decades of uninterrupted Democrat control produces.
The Rename Makes More Sense Than She Thinks
Trump has been on a rebranding tear – Gulf of America, Lake America, and now floating "Trump Strait" for the Strait of Hormuz.
He also knows a state name requires an act of Congress, which is why no formal proposal followed the post.
It was a trap – and Grisham walked straight into it, handing him a news cycle about her record instead of his joke.
https://twitter.com/FurkanGozukara/status/2097023269333332189?s=20
The schools are failing.
The streets aren't safe.
The families are poor.
Maybe the governor should spend less time defending a name coined by Spanish conquistadors and more time explaining why her state finishes last at everything that actually matters.
Sources:
- Nick Givas, "New Mexico's Dem Governor Triggered After Trump Jokingly Suggests New Name for Her State," Fox News Digital, September 7, 2026.
- "Trump Floats 'New America' Name for New Mexico," Newsmax, September 6, 2026.
- "New Mexico Ranked 47th Overall, Last in Education," U.S. News and World Report, 2026.
- "WalletHub Ranks New Mexico Worst State to Raise a Family," WalletHub/KRQE, 2025.
- "New Mexico: The Most Dangerous State in America," Norada Real Estate/Data Pandas, 2024.
- "New Mexico," Adobe Gallery/Wikipedia, Origin and Etymology Reference, 2026.
