Trump asked Google to rename the Atlantic Ocean. The CEO said no.

Donald Trump asked Google whether it could rename the Atlantic Ocean, only to be rebuffed. Trump had previously signed executive orders renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario — which straddles the US-Canada border — to the Gulf of America and Lake America, respectively, sparking diplomatic friction with the countries involved.

According to The Washington Post, Trump floated the idea of renaming the Atlantic during a campaign rally in South Carolina held ahead of the US midterm elections on Thursday (local time).

Trump said he had called Google CEO Sundar Pichai to discuss the idea, arguing, "We have lakes and bays, and now we need rivers and oceans."

He said he asked Pichai whether Google could handle the Atlantic rename the same way it had processed the earlier name changes — and was turned down.

Pichai reportedly replied that oceans were a different matter because they border many countries, telling Trump: "We're not going to do this one. Please don't ask me to do that."

Private companies that provide online map services, including Google, have largely accommodated Trump's name changes for users in the United States. Trump said that, given Google's refusal, he would probably not pursue renaming the Atlantic — but added that he was considering whether the Pacific Ocean could instead be renamed the American Ocean.

Google did not respond to a request for comment.