Trump Reverses Obama's Order, Restores Name Of North America's Tallest Peak
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to restore the name of North America's highest peak to Mount McKinley from 'Denali'.
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US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to restore the name of North America's highest peak to Mount McKinley from 'Denali' - a move former US President Barack Obama had made during his tenure. According to the order, the national park surrounding the mountain will retain the name 'Denali National Park and Preserve'.
"We will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs," Mr Trump said during his inaugural speech.
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a Republican, led the effort to make the change official.
"This order honors President McKinley for giving his life for our great Nation and dutifully recognizes his historic legacy of protecting America's interests and generating enormous wealth for all Americans. Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior shall reinstate the name "Mount McKinley". The Secretary shall subsequently update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming and reinstatement of Mount McKinley," the official order read.
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William McKinley, the 25th US President, never visited the mountain and has no significant historical connection to the peak nor the state of Alaska, though it was named in his honor in 1917. The name was officially changed to 'Denali' by Mr Obama in 2015, adopting the name used by Alaska Natives for centuries.
The mountain rises more than 20,000 feet.
Hitting out at Mr Trump's decision, the director of Sierra Club's land protection program, Athan Manuel, said that it goes "against the desires of Alaska Natives and centuries of tradition".
"The Koyukon people have known this mountain as 'Denali' for centuries, and even the state's elected officials oppose this attempt to rename it. It's clear that Donald Trump is more interested in culture war stunts than addressing the concerns of the American people," he said.
Donald Trump renames Gulf of Mexico
Mr Trump, who took oath on Monday, announced his plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America' from his inauguration stage.
"The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America's future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation's economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America," the newly-elected US President's executive order read.
Outlining his priorities, Mr Trump also emphasised a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, vowing to halt illegal immigration and deport millions of people he described as "criminal aliens."