Obama had restored peak’s Koyukon Athabascan name, undoing designation in honor of 25th US president

Summary

Donald Trump’s pledge to rename Denali back to Mount McKinley has sparked widespread backlash, including from Indigenous Alaskans and Alaskan Republican lawmakers.

The Koyukon Athabascans, who have called the mountain Denali for centuries, consider the name sacred.

The Obama administration officially restored the Denali name in 2015 to honor Alaska Native heritage.

Polls show most Alaskans oppose the renaming, despite the state’s Republican majority.

Alaskan senators Murkowski and Sullivan criticized Trump’s move, while some, including McKinley descendants, support honoring the controversial 25th president despite his views on Native populations.