McKinley Descendant Advocates for Compromise as Trump Orders Denali Renamed
Trump's push to rename North America's tallest peak in honor of President William McKinley faces opposition, with a proposed compromise from a McKinley descendant.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename North America's tallest peak, Denali in Alaska, after President William McKinley is sparking a mix of support and resistance, with some Alaskans, including two Republican senators, voicing strong opposition.
Massee McKinley, a great-great-nephew of President McKinley, expressed his delight over the decision, saying, "He deserves to have the mountain named after him. He had unparalleled integrity, and people respected him." However, with local lawmakers and Alaskan residents opposing the change, McKinley is proposing a compromise: keep the name Denali for the national park and preserve, but rename the peak itself Mount McKinley.
“The international community’s always going to know the entire park and the mountain as Denali, and we don’t dispute that,” McKinley said. “But from a national perspective, I think we can have the compromise. I don’t see a problem with that.”
Trump’s executive order includes this very compromise, stating, "The national park area surrounding Mount McKinley shall retain the name Denali National Park and Preserve."
The mountain, which rises to 20,310 feet, was officially named Mount McKinley by the federal government in 1917, despite long-standing Indigenous names like Denali, meaning "the tall one" in the Athabascan language. In 2015, during the Obama administration, the mountain was officially recognized as Denali.
Trump had long advocated for restoring the mountain’s original name during his first term. However, Alaska's two senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, have both opposed the move, reaffirming their stance even after Trump’s latest action. Sullivan has previously expressed his preference for Denali, citing its significance to Alaska Native people, especially the Koyukon Athabascan people.
"I prefer the name Denali that was given to that great mountain by the great patriotic Koyukon Athabascan people thousands of years ago," Sullivan said in a video post on X.
Despite the controversy, Massee McKinley, who serves as vice president of the Society of Presidential Descendants, expressed his admiration for McKinley’s legacy, particularly his business acumen, which Trump has sought to emulate in his own presidency. He said he was not surprised by Trump’s decision and is eager to be involved in the official signing process for the proclamation.
Beyond the Denali issue, Trump's executive order also included the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The U.S. Department of the Interior is tasked with updating the government’s geographic names database within the next 30 days.
The ongoing debate over the mountain’s name highlights a larger conversation about the recognition of Native American history and cultural significance, with many Alaskans and Indigenous advocates viewing the Denali name as a vital acknowledgment of Native heritage.