Alaskans oppose reverting the name of Denali to Mount McKinley by more than a two-to-one margin, according to a survey of residents conducted several days before President Donald Trump announced he would make the change during his second inauguration speech Monday.
The mountain referred to as Denali by Alaska Natives for centuries was officially named Mount McKinley from 1917 until 2015, then changed to Denali in 2015 during President Barack Obama’s second term. Trump vowed during his first term in 2017 to change the name and followed through after he was reelected.
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order calling for North America’s tallest peak — Denali in Alaska — to be renamed Mount McKinley.
Trump, who took office for a second time Monday, said he planned to “restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to rename North America’s tallest peak, Denali in Alaska, as Mount McKinley — reviving an idea he floated years ago that at that time saw strong pushback from state political leaders.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — President Donald Trump on ... said he planned to “restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs.
King and many others who live in the mountain’s shadow say most Alaskans will never stop calling the peak Denali, its Alaska Native name, despite President Donald Trump’s executive order that the name revert to Mount McKinley -- an identifier inspired by President William McKinley, who was from Ohio and never set foot in Alaska.
A common sentiment in Alaska is that while President Donald Trump has ordered the name of North America’s tallest peak to be changed from Denali to McKinley, Alaskans will call it what they want. And popular consensus seems to favor Denali.
One of President Donald Trump’s first executive actions upon reentering the White House was to reestablish its most famous mountain as McKinley’s namesake.
The vote came a week after Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order calling for the name to revert to Mount McKinley.
The Alaska House on Monday voted to urge President Donald Trump to reverse course and retain the name of North America's tallest peak as Denali.