Standing tall at a staggering 20,310 feet, Denali is the tallest mountain in North America. The stunning snow-capped peaks tower over the Alaskan wilderness, reaching into the clouds. The mountain is a sanctuary for wild animals, a famed tourist spot and a venerated spiritual location for many native Alaskan communities.

On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he signed 26 executive orders, exceeding the number signed by the past 15 presidents on their first days. Among those executive orders was one to rename Denali to Mount McKinley after former President William McKinley.

While the name change may seem innocuous, the decision to rename the mountain has become a point of contention for many Alaskan citizens. Alaskans have spoken out about their disdain for the change, citing that the original name respects the Indigenous people of Alaska. Alaskan lawmakers have also openly resisted the change on social media.

“I strongly disagree with the President’s decision on Denali,” Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski wrote in a post on X. “Our nation’s tallest mountain […] must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska Koyukon Athabascans.”

The Alaskan Athabascan, a group of native peoples who have lived around the mountain for centuries, originally named it “Denali.” The name “Denali” means “The Great One” in Koyukon, a traditional Native Alaskan language. 

The name was used colloquially by both native and non-native groups until 1896, when prospector William Dickey, after going off the grid to explore the Alaskan wilderness, learned that William McKinley had been nominated for the presidency. He then nicknamed the mountain McKinley in an article published in the New York Sun, and the name stuck. William McKinley became president in 1896 and died due to complications arising from an assassination attempt in 1901, just months into his second term. 

Officially naming the mountain “Mount McKinley” remained a point of debate for nearly a century afterward, particularly between Alaska Natives and Ohio lawmakers, which was McKinley’s home state. In 1913, Alaskan missionary Hudson Stuck reached Denali’s peak, completing the first successful ascent of the peak. After the ascent, Stuck referred to the mountain exclusively as Denali and advocated for retaining the native name. However, some combated this idea by referencing the American tradition of naming geographical locations after well-known figures. The debate reached a stalemate, and 16 years after McKinley’s death, Congress formally recognized the name “McKinley.”

While supporters of the Native moniker never stopped trying to rename the mountain “Denali,” a formal movement to change the title federally began in the 1970s. After Alaska gained statehood in 1959, citizens petitioned the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to rename the mountain. However, Ohio congressional representatives continually halted their efforts.

In 2015, then-President Barack Obama began the process of officially changing the mountain’s name to Denali. Under a secretarial order signed by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Denali became the mountain’s official name. 

Many Alaskans feel that switching back to McKinley is a disservice to Alaska Natives. Alaska Public Media reporter Eric Stone says that some even consider the name change offensive.

“A substantial share of the Alaska Public prefers the name Denali,” Stone said. “Some people said it would be a slap in the face to Alaska Native people to remove indigenous names and replace it with a president who has never set foot in Alaska.”

Additionally, an informal survey conducted by Alaska Public Media showed that 95% of respondents favored “Denali” as the mountain’s name over “McKinley.” Many support the native name because various businesses in Alaska use the iconic peak as a moniker in their company names. Others say that “Denali” is a more relevant name to Alaskans than “McKinley.”

President Trump justified the renaming by stating that McKinley was a “great president” who “made [America] very rich through tariffs and through talent,” praising McKinley’s abilities as a “natural businessman.” The efficiency of McKinley’s presidency is often debated among historians, but Alaskans argue that the significance of Alaska Natives to the history of the state trumps William McKinley’s importance.

U.S. History teacher Gregory Herbert said he believes the renaming has a political motive rather than an honorary one.

“Ohio could be a swing state and has a substantial number of votes in the electoral college,” Herbert said. “To appease those congressmen in that state, you name it after McKinley because he’s from Ohio.”

If the renaming has a political motive rather than a cultural one, it could set a concerning precedent moving forward, junior Ethan Stearns said.

“The fact that [the name change] was done without Congress is worrying because it’s taking a power traditionally held by them, even if it’s a small one,” said Stearns. “It’s eroding the power of the other branches, small thing by small thing, until eventually you get to something big.”

Regardless of motive, many Alaskans have interpreted the renaming of Denali to Mount McKinley as an erasure of Alaska Natives’ history in the U.S. and an attempt to disregard their contributions as protectors of natural resources. Though the surrounding national park will retain the Indigenous name, Alaska Natives find the renaming disrespectful.

Herbert said this incident could cause Indigenous people across the nation to feel estranged from other Americans.

“We have historically seen the Native American population be taken advantage of and ignored, their voices muted,” Herbert said. “This further alienates them and makes them feel isolated… like they’re not even part of America.”