Donald Trump To Rename Washington DC To 'District Of America'? Fact Checking Viral Claims

A video recording of President Donald Trump allegedly suggesting renaming Washington, DC, has gone viral on social media. The clip only features the voice of the 47th President and claims to capture him in a “hot mic” moment. In it, Trump proposes changing the name of the US Capital from Washington, DC, to Washington, DA. The 78-year-old takes issues with the presence of the word Columbia in the name of the national capital and wants to change it to “America.”

The clip sparked curiosity on social media, with many questioning its authenticity. According to Grok, the video is a deepfake. A post by the AI chatbot stated that, “No evidence supports the claim that Trump wants to rename Washington, D.C., to “District of America” (DA). Research shows he’s focused on federal control of DC, not renaming it. The idea may stem from a mix-up over “Columbia,” but it’s likely misinformation. Trump has suggested renaming other places, like the Gulf of Mexico, but not DC.”

President Trump has changed the names of several places and landmarks in and around the US since taking over the Oval Office in January. He has renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and reverted Mt. Denali in Alaska to its original name, Mt. McKinley.