Republican senator proposes reverting the name of US' tallest mountain back to Denali

Senator Murkowski claimed that her bill was not a "political issue" because Alaskans from "every walk of life" have been pushing for the mountain to be "recognized by its true name."

Published: February 13, 2025 10:21pm

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Thursday introduced a bill that would revert the name of the United States' tallest mountain back to Denali, instead of Mt. McKinley. 

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month that formally changed the name to Mt. McKinley, in honor of the late-President William McKinley. The change was part of a broader order titled "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness." 

Murkowski claimed that the name should go back to Denali, which is how Alaskans refer to the 18,000' mountain. Former President Barack Obama approved the initial name change in 2015. The senator's bill is cosponsored by the state's junior GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan.

“In Alaska, it’s Denali,” Murkowski said in a statement. “Once you see it in person, and take in the majesty of its size and breathe in its cold air, you can understand why the Koyukon Athabascans referred to it as ‘The Great One.’”

The senator claimed that her bill was not a "political issue" because Alaskans from "every walk of life" have been pushing for the mountain to be "recognized by its true name."

The bill would require the government to use the name Denali in all official references, including in U.S. laws, maps, regulations and other records. Alaska officially named the mountain Denali in 1975.

The bill comes as Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened to sue Google over its decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as "Gulf of America" as also outlined in Trump's executive order. 

Sheinbaum claimed that only a portion of the Gulf should be renamed on its Google Maps. But the change is only reflected on the phones of U.S. citizens. People in Mexico still see the Gulf as "Gulf of Mexico." 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

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