During a rally on Saturday, October 17 in Highland Heights, Kentucky, Donald Trump boasted about how much more powerful and influential he was during his second term. In listing his accomplishments, he mentioned his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario.
“This is a much more powerful term. I can do things that are incredible… I called Google, Google Maps. Look, Google wouldn’t have taken my call in the first quarter. Now they’re kissing my ass.”
Trump appears to be implying that he convinced Google to personally reflect the name change. That would seem to contradict Google’s statement on the matter, in which it said it simply reflects “official government sources, which is GNIS for the US… These updates follow our long-standing policy for bodies of water with names that vary from country to country.”
However, throughout his second term, Silicon Valley (including Google and its CEO Sundar Pichai) has gone to great lengths to try to ingratiate itself with President Trump, lavishing him with gifts, praise and donations to his pet projects. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
