JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday calling for North America鈥檚 tallest peak 鈥� Denali in Alaska 鈥� to be renamed Mount McKinley, reviving an idea he鈥檇 floated years ago and drawing a rebuke from Alaska鈥檚 Republican senior senator.
The order came hours after Trump, who took office for a second time Monday, said he planned to 鈥渞estore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent.鈥�
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski in a statement said she disagrees strongly with Trump wanting to change Denali's name.
鈥淥ur nation鈥檚 tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska鈥檚 Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial," she said.
According to the National Park Service, a prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak 鈥淢ount McKinley鈥� for William McKinley, who was elected president that year. McKinley . The name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until it was changed to Denali, to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives and preference of many Alaskans. The move drew opposition from lawmakers in McKinley鈥檚 home state of Ohio.
Denali is an Athabascan word meaning 鈥渢he high one鈥� or 鈥渢he great one.鈥� The iconic 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain, snow-capped and dotted with glaciers, is in Denali National Park and Preserve. The Tanana Chiefs Conference, a consortium of Athabascan tribes in Interior Alaska, spent years advocating for the peak to be recognized as Denali.
Trump's executive order celebrates McKinley, saying the 25th president 鈥渃hampioned tariffs to protect U.S. manufacturing, boost domestic production, and drive U.S. industrialization and global reach to new heights.鈥� McKinley, a Republican, was assassinated early in his second term in 1901.
"This order honors President McKinley for giving his life for our great Nation and dutifully recognizes his historic legacy of protecting America鈥檚 interests and generating enormous wealth for all Americans," the document states.
Messages seeking comment about the name change also were left for the other members of Alaska鈥檚 congressional delegation and Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. vehemently opposed a prior suggestion by Trump that the name Denali revert back to Mount McKinley.
Trump revisited the topic , following his election.
鈥淢cKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,鈥� Trump said in December. 鈥淭hey took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That鈥檚 what they do to people.鈥�
Alaska and Ohio had been at odds over the name for decades. Alaska had a standing request to change the name since 1975, when the legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government.
In the same executive order Monday, Trump also called for changing the name of the to the Gulf of America.
Among other executive actions, Trump rescinded a 2023 decision by then-President Joe Biden barring drilling on nearly 3 million acres of the Beaufort Sea off the northern coast of Alaska. The U.S. Department of Interior at that time said there had not been a federal oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic Ocean since 2007.
The 2023 decision came around the same time the Biden administration approved a large oil project, known as Willow, in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, angering environmentalists. Litigation around the approval of Willow is still pending.
Becky Bohrer, The Associated Press
