Does Donald Trump Have the Power to Rename a Mountain? The History of Denali

When President Donald Trump announced his intention to rename Denali back to Mount McKinley, the declaration reignited an old debate. The towering peak, the highest in North America, has been known by various names over the years. Each name reflects different cultural, historical, and political priorities.

His proposal raises two key questions. First, does President Trump have the power to rename a mountain that happens to be a federal landmark? Second, why did Denali’s name get changed in the first place?

So, can President Trump do what he is vowing to do? Keep reading as we dive into it.

According to National Park Services, President Trump does not have unilateral authority to rename a mountain or any federal landmark. The process of changing geographic names in the United States is overseen by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, an independent body responsible for ensuring consistency in place naming across the country. A name change typically involves input from local and state governments, as well as public and Indigenous communities when applicable.

Turns out, a lot of people believe President Trump can rename Denali because of a misconception about how the name was changed back in 2015. While the renaming of the mountain occurred during President Barack Obama’s administration and he was in support of the change, it was not a personal decision of President Obama. Furthermore, President Obama also did not have the power to make this kind of change on his own.

Instead, the Secretary of the Interior at the time, Sally Jewell, used her authority to officially rename the mountain as Denali.

If President Trump were to pursue the renaming, he could advocate for the change and influence public and political opinion. He, however, would ultimately need to follow the same formal process through the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. This makes his vow more of a symbolic gesture than an immediate policy shift. Furthermore, it means that even though he vowed he would change the name, he doesn’t have final say and it might not happen.

The mountain’s original name, “Denali,” comes from the Koyukon Athabascan people and means “the High One.” In 1896, William Dickey, a gold prospector named it Mount McKinley to honor a presidential candidate, even though President McKinley had no connection to Alaska. The name became official in 1917.

In the 1970s, Alaska and Indigenous groups began pushing to restore the name Denali. Alaska officially adopted the name in 1975, but the federal government didn’t follow suit due to political disagreements. Finally, in 2015, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell officially changed the name to Denali with support from the Obama administration.

Names of landmarks are not just labels — they carry meaning. President Trump’s vow to change the name of this mountain carries little weight as he simply does not have the power to make this kind of change. He can endorse the change and put pressure on the right people to make it happen. It, however, isn’t his decision and he doesn’t have final say one way or the other.