Trump bragged at a Kentucky rally that Google 'kisses my ass' now and claimed he personally got Google Maps to rename bodies of water like the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario, though Google maintains it follows official government sources. The remarks highlight ongoing efforts by Silicon Valley leaders to ingratiate themselves with Trump during his second term.
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During a rally on Saturday, October 17th, in Highland Heights, Kentucky, Donald Trump <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/17/trump-touts-his-power-at-kentucky-rally-ahead-of-midterms.html">bragged</a> about how much more powerful and influential he was during his second term. While listing off his accomplishments, he mentioned his decision to rename the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/news/609772/google-maps-gulf-of-america-rename-mexico">Gulf of Mexico</a> and <a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/986527/google-capitulates-in-trumps-attempt-to-rename-lake-ontario">Lake Ontario</a>.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">"This is a much more powerful term. I can do stuff that's unbelievable … I called Google, Google Maps. See, Google wouldn't have taken my call in the first term. Now they kiss my ass."</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump seems to be implying that he convinced Google to reflect the name change personally. That would seem to contradict <a href="https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/gnis-lake-ontario-lake-america-name-change/">Google's statement</a> on the matter, in which it said that …</p>
<p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/1013485/trump-google-kiss-my-ass">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
# Trump says Google kisses his ass
Source: [https://www.theverge.com/policy/1013485/trump-google-kiss-my-ass](https://www.theverge.com/policy/1013485/trump-google-kiss-my-ass)
[](https://www.theverge.com/authors/terrence-obrien)
Terrence O'Brien
is the Verge’s weekend editor\. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths\.
During a rally on Saturday, October 17th, in Highland Heights, Kentucky, Donald Trump[bragged](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/17/trump-touts-his-power-at-kentucky-rally-ahead-of-midterms.html)about how much more powerful and influential he was during his second term\. While listing off his accomplishments, he mentioned his decision to rename the[Gulf of Mexico](https://www.theverge.com/news/609772/google-maps-gulf-of-america-rename-mexico)and[Lake Ontario](https://www.theverge.com/policy/986527/google-capitulates-in-trumps-attempt-to-rename-lake-ontario)\.
“This is a much more powerful term\. I can do stuff that’s unbelievable … I called Google, Google Maps\. See, Google wouldn’t have taken my call in the first term\. Now they kiss my ass\.”
Trump seems to be implying that he convinced Google to reflect the name change personally\. That would seem to contradict[Google’s statement](https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/maps/gnis-lake-ontario-lake-america-name-change/)on the matter, in which it said that 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\.”
Throughout his second term, however, Silicon Valley — including Google and its CEO[Sundar Pichai](https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/27/24280799/sundar-sundar-whos-a-great-guy-very-smart)— has gone out of its way to try and ingratiate itself with President Trump, lavishing him with[gifts](https://www.theverge.com/news/737757/apple-president-donald-trump-ceo-tim-cook-glass-corning),[compliments](https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/31/24282719/tech-leaders-trump-jeff-bezos-zuckerberg-pichai), and[donations to his pet projects](https://www.theverge.com/policy/1012047/nvidia-apple-google-microsoft-amazon-meta-trump-ballroom)\. Google did not immediately return a request for comment\.
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- Terrence O'Brien
Apple Maps has updated its app to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, following Google's lead after an executive order by President Donald Trump. The change highlights how mapping services are adapting to political directives.
MapQuest surged to become Apple's top free app after the company refused to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, defying President Trump's executive order amid trade tensions with Canada.
The EU fines Google $1 billion for violating the Digital Markets Act, escalating tensions as the Trump administration threatens to limit US market access for the EU in response. Google is making compliance changes while considering an appeal.
Trump issued an executive order replacing the term "artificial intelligence" with "Super Intelligence," and top AI executives—including Bezos, Huang, Amodei, Zuckerberg, Pichai, Brockman, Karp, and Musk—acquiesced without objection at a White House lunch, a move critics frame as a loyalty test for tech leaders.
Google Maps has renamed Lake Ontario to 'Lake America' in the US following an executive order by President Trump, as part of a broader effort to update geographical names based on government databases.