 "5 things about North America’s tallest mountain that Trump wants to rename as Mt McKinley")
A day before his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump announced during a rally that he intends to rename Denali, North America’s tallest mountain, back to Mount McKinley.
The move is ostensibly to honour the 25th US president, William McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901.
At his rally in Phoenix on Sunday (January 19), Trump had said, “They took his name off Mount McKinley…He was a great president, and we will restore his legacy by bringing back the name Mount McKinley.”
Here are five key things to know about the mountain Trump wants to rename:
1. Officially renamed Denali in 2015
The mountain, standing at over 20,000 feet (6,100 meters), was officially named Mount McKinley in 1917 after being named informally by a prospector in 1896 to honour McKinley, a supporter of the gold standard.
In 2015, then-President Barack Obama officially restored the mountain’s original Athabascan name, Denali, which means “The High One.”
2. William McKinley never visited the mountain
Despite its long association with McKinley, there is no record of the 25th president ever visiting the mountain or Alaska. In a 2015 order, the US Department of the Interior even mentioned that McKinley had no “significant historical connection to the mountain or to Alaska.”
3. The cultural significance of ‘Denali’
Denali was the name given to the peak by Alaska’s indigenous Athabascan people long before the US officially recognised it.
The state of Alaska adopted the name in 1975 and had been lobbying for decades to have it officially recognised by the federal government before Obama’s decision.
4. Trump faces opposition, even from Republicans
Not all Republicans back Trump’s plan to restore the McKinley name.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, strongly defended the name Denali, stating, “There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali - the Great One.”
Murkowski has been a vocal supporter of keeping the indigenous name.
5. A History of naming controversy
The naming debate over Denali has been a contentious issue for decades.
Although Alaskan lawmakers and indigenous communities pushed for the Denali name, federal recognition was blocked repeatedly until 2015.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe controversy underscores broader debates over cultural recognition and historical legacy in the US.
With inputs from agencies
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