Alaskan Senators Challenge Trump’s Executive Order on Denali Name Change

Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan propose legislation to restore the mountain's Indigenous name after Trump renamed it Mount McKinley.

President Trump issued an executive order on his first day of office to rename Denali back to Mount McKinley, honoring the 25th U.S. president who never visited Alaska.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, joined by fellow Alaskan Senator Dan Sullivan, introduced a bill to officially reinstate the name Denali, citing strong local and Indigenous support.
The mountain, known as Denali for centuries by Alaska Natives, was renamed Mount McKinley in 1917 but reverted to Denali in 2015 under the Obama administration.
Trump’s executive order, titled 'Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,' also directed the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has already been implemented on some platforms.
The proposed legislation faces challenges, including potential vetoes and legislative hurdles, but reflects bipartisan opposition to the executive order within Alaska.