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Continuing to flex his executive muscle during his final term as commander-in-chief, President Barack Obama announced Sunday that Alaska’s Mount McKinley was being renamed Denali.

The president used his executive power to restore the mountain to its “Alaska Native name, which has deep cultural significance to the tallest mountain in North America,” reports The New York Times.

The move came on the eve of Mr. Obama’s trip to Alaska, where he will spend three days promoting aggressive action to combat climate change, and is part of a series of steps he will make there meant to address the concerns of Alaska Native tribes.

The mountain’s former name has long been regarded in what The Times notes “as an example of cultural imperialism in which a Native American name with historical roots.”

The 20,237-foot mountain and the tallest in North America was renamed in honor of President William McKinley, who was assassinated six months into his term in 1901.

As expected, social media users responded to the change with praise and condemnation. Here are some tweets:

What do you think about the name change? Sound off in the comments.

SOURCE: The New York Times | PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter | VIDEO CREDIT: NDN

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