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Trump Renames Denali To Mount McKinley, So What Will GMC Do?

President Trump signed a large stack of executive orders on Monday as part of his first actions upon returning to the White House. The executive orders covered a broad range of issues, from immigration, to pardons, to diversity, to climate and energy, plus many more. Interestingly, one of the top priorities was renaming Denali, the highest peak in North America, to Mount McKinley. Which may leave some GM fans wondering – what about the GMC Denali sub-brand?

Trump has renamed Denali as Mount McKinley, however GM says it will not affect the GMC Denali sub-brand.

According to General Motors, the executive order to rename the peak as Mount McKinley will have no effect on the GMC sub-brand.

For those who may be unaware, the mountain in question is located in Alaska, standing at 20,310 feet above sea level. GM adopted the Denali name in 1999 with the launch of the 1999 GMC Yukon Denali, but the sub-brand has since expanded with new trim levels for the GMC Acadia, GMC Canyon, GMC Terrain, GMC Sierra / Sierra HD, and  GMC Sierra EV.

GMC recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the sub-brand with the launch of a new special edition Yukon. The Denali sub-brand (including Denali Ultimate) serves as the range-topping designation for each respective model line.

For centuries, the native Koyukon Athabaskan people who inhabit the area around the Alaskan peak in question have called the mountain “Dinale” or “Denali,” which is a Koyukon word meaning “tall.” In 1896, the mountain was given the name McKinley by gold prospector William Dickey as a gesture of support for presidential candidate William McKinley.

For years afterwards, the name of the mountain was the target of political wrangling, with the Obama administration announcing in 2015 that the mountain would be officially recognized as Denali, per the Alaska Geographic Board, with a resolution stating that McKinley never visited the mountain, nor did he have any significant historical ties to the area.

President Trump signed an order officially recognizing the peak as Mount McKinley within hours of returning to the presidency, stating “we will restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley where it should be and where it belongs.”

Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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Comments

  1. People thought this was going to make GMC change the naming of a trim level? This can’t seriously be news. . .
    I completely understand writing an article about the naming history of the prestigious GMC trim, but giving it a political click-bait title? C’mon Jonathan. . .

    Reply
    1. Yep what a dumb article. As if GMC Sierra, Yukon, Acadia are based on political gestures? Is the author expecting the GMC Yukon Gulf of America edition for 2026?

      Reply
    2. “People thought this was going to make GMC change the naming of a trim level?”
      Bran and BlazerSSEV – your outside the box thinking is truly inspirational.
      To answer Bran’s question: no, no one here at GM Authority seriously thought that the name change will prompt GMC to change the name. But when the item that is the literal namesake of the Denali brand sees its name changed, then it’s worth reporting on.

      BlazerSSEV: obviously the Denali name is not based on political gestures. But it is the literal name for the product line. Last I checked, there is no Gulf of Mexico edition product in GMC’s (or GM’s) lineup. Another example of big thinking there 🙂

      That is all folks.

      – Alex from GM Authority

      Reply
      1. Actually, the brand was named after “Denali National Park” , not the individual mountain that came along decades later!

        ” Denali National Park was originally established as Mount McKinley National Park in 1917. The park’s name was changed to Denali National Park and Preserve on December 2, 1980, as part of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), which acknowledged the native Koyukon Athabaskan name “Denali,” meaning “The High One.”

        The mountain itself, formerly known as Mount McKinley, was officially renamed Denali on August 30, 2015, by the U.S. Department of the Interior. This change reflected the cultural and historical significance of the indigenous name and honored Alaska Native heritage.”

        Reply
      2. Alex, we get you must defend your staff but this should be a reflective point. This article headline as written is clearly sensationalized. There is a difference between clickbait versus the plainly put fact that you shared. Less speculation especially when it’s related to politics is for the better. Unless of course, you thrive off the clicks like everyone else.

        Reply
        1. @BlazerSSEV

          First, who is “we”? Don’t kid yourself, you do not represent the majority of GM Authority readers and patrons.

          Second, I do not need to defend anyone. I’m choosing to engage with you to share my perspective.

          Since we’re here, I’ll share some more. I see that you’re quick to criticize, but slow (or perhaps entirely absent?) to thank and appreciate. I don’t remember getting a card or message from you this past Thanksgiving.

          We do publish a lot. Not everyone will agree with everything we publish or the way we do it. There will always be critics. That’s quite alright. In fact, if I were to follow the massively helpful “advice” shared in the comments over the 15 years that GM Authority has been in publication, we would have next to nothing to write about.

          Now, the goal of this piece was to shed light on the legal name change of the namesake landmark. Our coverage has nothing to do with politics or “political speculation”. It just happens to be that the source of the subject matter is political.

          If you’re gullible enough to think that GMC would need to make changes about its most visible and successful sub-brand, then I can see how you came to conclude that this is clickbait. Or you could have elected to see the title as irony, which you could have deduced from the fact that the article itself explains the facts and the developments in a direct and straightforward manner. In fact, your words have me wondering if you read ONLY the headline, skipped the article, and shot down straight to the comments in fury-filled rage.

          Perhaps all this could be a reflective point for you… if you’re capable of reflection, that is.

          Reply
          1. Thank you Alex for all the time writing your comment – I’m not bothered enough to write so much. I don’t remember a thank you for all the free stories I’ve tipped to you either but if you’d like a card drop the address 😉

            Reply
    3. Careful, if you question him you’ll end up getting your IP address blocked!

      Reply
      1. Lol you ain’t kidding. They delete my comments all the time.

        Reply
        1. And yet somehow, both of your comments are still here. Hilarious.

          Reply
          1. @ Alex

            Well you removed my post earlier!!! Hypocrite anyone!

            Reply
          2. @TNTSIERRA I personally didn’t remove any comment of yours.

            But I will ask:
            1. Did your “post” (technically a comment) contain expletives that caused it to be caught by filters and removed?
            2. Was your comment on topic, or did you start going off in an irrelevant direction that detracts from the topic at hand?

            Come back with answers to those questions, and we can continue this dialogue.

            Reply
          3. This time!

            Reply
    4. DO IT. Get on board. America has spoken.

      Not only rebranding new McKinley models, but market McKinley badging for previous Denali vehicles!

      Reply
    5. Yeah, so when will “PREMIER” become a Chevy ‘sub-brand’ ?

      Reply
  2. GMC started using the Denali name back in 1999 when Mt. McKinley was called… Mt. McKinley. They’ve used the Denali name while the mountain was called Mt. McKinley for 16 out of the 25 years that the Denali sub- brand has been in existence. I think their customers don’t know or care about the name of the mountain versus the name of the trucks.

    Political clickbait titles are lame.

    Reply
  3. Bring back the supercharged V8 Camaro and call it The Car of America!

    Reply
    1. LOL. And it’ll be built in Mexico.

      Reply
      1. You mean “Spicy America”? Yeah, that’s changing too. 🙂

        Reply
      2. Camaros are still built in lansing Michigan. That’s the only facility that accepts platforms that size. Not moving to Mexico even if it’s resurected

        Reply
  4. It’s now Mount McKinnley at Denali National Park; a compromise honoring both the local tribes and the 25th president. Thus, no problem for GMC. Their sub-brand now shares a name with a National Park but no longer the mountain located therein.

    Reply
    1. Nobody except MAGAtards will call it anything other than Mount Denali.

      Reply
  5. At least GMC wasn’t using “Palisade” like Hyundai!

    Reply
    1. What’s wrong with that name? The brands themselves are the weaker names.

      Reply
      1. Nothing wrong, besides the named region burning up and giving the name/brand the wrong publicity.

        Reply
        1. I thought it was a reference to the willow wall keeping migrants out of Manchuria.

          Reply
          1. Is that better or worse for publicity 😂😂😂

            Reply
          2. It’s just hundreds year old history. Imposing is common hint from names. Like this article topic.

            Reply
  6. Bills buried about 20 min from me. Want me to drop by and ask him what he thinks? I can give it a shot.

    Reply
    1. Don’t bother. We’ll exhume his body and have him buried on top Mt. McKinley next week to put an end to this stupidity.

      Reply
  7. President Trump should rename it to Mount McP ussy immediately! They would have the best looking crowds and biggest most celebrated renaming ceremony in all of history! Millions would be in attendance and billions would watch the renaming ceremony! McDonalds should also be served!

    Reply
  8. Make a Decree with a beautiful word of english dictionary, it has many, both denali and this m,ount someone is horrible

    Reply
    1. No one can even understand what you’re trying to say.

      Reply
  9. What should GMC do? Wait. Everything will change again in 2-4 years.

    Also, coming up with a sensible brand today that isn’t already trademarked is nearly impossible. GMC should hold onto it regardless of what the mount is called.

    Reply
    1. Unless 2028 & 2032 go to Vance. Remember the Regan era? Regan, bush, debatably gingerich in the house keep it going through Clinton. It might be 20 years before it swings back.

      Reply
      1. The midterms and 2028 are no gimmes.

        Trump and staff needed to make sure these EOs were untouchable, and looks like they’ve been a bit sloppy as there are already solid court challenges. Donald this is chess not golf!

        Reply
      2. After Trump’s tariffs destroy the economy, the Republicans will lose big in the midterms. Assuming the fat clown doesn’t die of an aneurysm from the pushback to his idiocy.

        Reply
  10. My liberal “friends” are raging that President Trump dead named a mountain, lol.

    Reply
  11. Just another click bait question and story.

    Denali was a name before and after the mountain change and GMC has so much name equity in the Denali brand there is no way it will change. Just use some common sense.

    The Denali brand is so strong people just say they have a Denali not a What ever. I know when I got mine I was kidded that I had too much money and I was rich. That is not the case but that is the public impression of a Denali.

    Mic Drop Clunk.

    Reply
    1. Tell me you read only the headline and didn’t read the article without telling me you didn’t read the article.

      Reply
  12. <<— here for the comments. 🤣

    Reply
  13. Nice diversion from freezing engine bearings and self-destructive 8 speeds .

    Reply
  14. When will “ ENTRY LEVEL STRIPPER “ become a sub-brand ?
    …. asking for a cheap friend .

    Reply
  15. Where can I buy new McKinley badges for my Denali?
    I see a huge but short term opportunity here.

    Reply
  16. Steve, in life there are action and there are reaction. iF YOU DECIDE TO RIOT YOU WILL HAVE TO ACCEPT THE REACTION. DO NOT DEPEND ON A LUNATIC TO FREE YOU UP BUT HE DID. YOU HAVE TO BE RESPONSABLE FOR YOUR ACTS. BY THE WAY, YOU WILL NOT GO TO HELL IF, AT THE NEXT ELECTION, YOU VOTE DEMOCRAT.

    Reply
  17. Eff Trump. If I get banned, it was worth it.

    Reply
  18. I think there will be a market for McKinley badge kits!! Yep really piss off the woke and alphabet soup, enviro nut, liberal crowd. But then again, probably not recommended if you don’t want your truck vandalized by some mask-wearing snowflake!

    Reply
    1. How is calling a mountain by the name the people who live there “woke”. Can MAGA get any more braindead?

      Reply
  19. “ BLACKOUT PACKAGE “ … has a nice ring to it .

    Reply
  20. And just like his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico, everyone will ignore this stupidity from the Orange Buffoon too.

    Reply

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