President-elect Trump has renewed his pledge to change the name of North America’s tallest peak back to Mount McKinley, undoing former President Obama’s decision in 2015 to rename it Denali. Speaking at a conservative conference in Phoenix, Trump argued that the name change was an insult to Ohio, the birthplace of President William McKinley. Trump also pledged to undo the Democrats’ rebranding of military bases named after Confederates, such as Fort Liberty in North Carolina.
Mount McKinley, originally named after the Ohioan president in 1896, was renamed Denali, meaning “High One” or “Great One,” by the Koyukon Athabascan people. Many Alaskans, including Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Dan Sullivan, prefer the name Denali, which has been around for thousands of years and holds historical and cultural significance.
Former Rep. Ralph Regula, who represented McKinley’s Ohio district, opposed the name change and accused Obama of acting like a dictator. However, some Ohio officials, including current Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, have respected the preference of Alaskans and their cultural ties to the mountain’s original name. Despite political disagreements, this issue reflects a conversation on respect for indigenous names and the historical significance of landmark names.
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