Former President Donald Trump's latest campaign promise stirs controversy over Alaska's highest peak.
According to the New York Post, Trump has announced his intention to reverse Barack Obama's 2015 decision to change Mount McKinley's name to Denali, declaring the former president deserves to keep his name on America's tallest mountain.
The 20,000-foot peak, situated in Denali National Park and Preserve in south-central Alaska, carried President William McKinley's name for nearly a century before Obama's executive order changed it. The mountain's current name, Denali, holds deep cultural significance for Alaska's native Athabascan people, translating to "the High One."
The mountain bore McKinley's name since 1917, honoring the 25th president who was assassinated in 1901. McKinley's presidency was marked by significant achievements, including leading the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War and implementing protective tariffs to boost American industry. However, Obama's administration noted that McKinley never visited Alaska or had any meaningful connection to the mountain.
Trump, speaking to supporters in Phoenix on Sunday, expressed his disapproval of the name change. His statement reflects a broader criticism of attempts to rename historical landmarks and monuments in recent years.
During Trump's previous term as president, he had already shown interest in reversing the name change. In March 2017, he held private discussions with Alaska's Republican senators about potentially restoring the McKinley name.
The state of Alaska officially designated the peak as Denali in 1975, demonstrating early recognition of indigenous preferences. The local Athabascan community had used this name for generations before any Western naming conventions were applied. Their perspective emphasizes the mountain's cultural and spiritual significance beyond political considerations.
Trump told his supporters at AmericaFest:
They took his name off Mount McKinley. That's one of the reasons that we're going to bring back the name of Mount McKinley because I think he deserves it.
Notably, when Trump previously attempted to reverse the name change, Alaska's Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, strongly opposed the idea. Their reaction demonstrates the complex political dynamics surrounding the mountain's name.
The naming controversy highlights the ongoing tension between historical presidential commemorations and indigenous cultural recognition. Obama's 2015 order specifically addressed the disconnect between McKinley and the mountain, citing the former president's lack of connection to Alaska or the peak itself.
The decision to rename the mountain to Denali represented a significant victory for Alaska Native communities who had long advocated for the change. The federal government's adoption of the name aligned with the state's own designation from decades earlier.
The potential reversal of the name change could spark renewed debates about presidential authority in matters of cultural significance and indigenous recognition. The situation exemplifies the broader national conversation about historical naming conventions and cultural preservation.
Donald Trump's campaign promise to restore the Mount McKinley name to North America's tallest peak has reignited a decade-old naming dispute. The former president's pledge during his Phoenix speech challenges Obama's 2015 executive order that officially recognized the mountain as Denali, its traditional Athabascan name. This potential reversal would affect not only geographical nomenclature but also the relationship between federal authority and indigenous cultural recognition in Alaska.
