President Donald Trump has changed the name of North America’s tallest mountain, Denali, to its former name, Mount McKinley, after William McKinley. The peak has several famous alpine routes, including the Cassin Ridge. William McKinley never visited the mountain.
In 1975, the state of Alaska petitioned for Mount McKinley to be officially renamed Denali. But it wasn’t until 2015 that the name was officially changed by president Barack Obama. In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act changed the park’s name to Denali National Park and Preserve. Trump’s executive order will not change the name of the park.
“William McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” said Trump in 2024. “They took his name off Mount McKinley. That’s what they do to people… President McKinley was the president that was responsible for creating a vast sum of money. That’s one of the reasons that we’re going to bring back the name of Mount McKinley, because I think he deserves it.”
According to CNN, “During his first term, Trump reportedly told Alaska’s two senators in a private meeting he wanted to reverse the decision. The senators asked Trump to keep Denali’s name intact.” The word Denali translates as High One or Great One. Read the full executive order here.
About why Trump likes McKinley, Forbes stated, “Trump has praised McKinley, the 25th president, in the past because of the tariffs he implemented. As a representative, McKinley introduced the McKinley Tariff, which passed in 1890 and dramatically increased taxes on foreign products. Trump himself has said he wants to increase tariffs, and has pitched a universal tariff on almost all imports and greater levies on products from China, Canada and Mexico.”
Executive Order Excerpt
Sec. 3. Renaming of Mount McKinley. (a) President William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, heroically led our Nation to victory in the Spanish-American War. Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains for the Nation. President McKinley championed tariffs to protect U.S. manufacturing, boost domestic production, and drive U.S. industrialization and global reach to new heights. He was tragically assassinated in an attack on our Nation’s values and our success, and he should be honored for his steadfast commitment to American greatness.
In 1917, the country officially honored President McKinley through the naming of North America’s highest peak. Yet after nearly a century, President Obama’s administration, in 2015, stripped the McKinley name from federal nomenclature, an affront to President McKinley’s life, his achievements, and his sacrifice.
This order honors President McKinley for giving his life for our great Nation and dutifully recognizes his historic legacy of protecting America’s interests and generating enormous wealth for all Americans.
(b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior shall, consistent with 43 U.S.C. 364 through 364f, reinstate the name “Mount McKinley.” The Secretary shall subsequently update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming and reinstatement of Mount McKinley. The national park area surrounding Mount McKinley shall retain the name Denali National Park and Preserve.
(c) The Secretary of the Interior shall work with Alaska Native entities and state and local organizations to adopt names for landmarks to honor the history and culture of the Alaskan people.
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