St. Louis name change? Not happening, governor tells Trump

ST. LOUIS – Despite some calls to change the name of St. Louis, Missouri’s governor has told President Donald Trump that it’s not going to happen.

The issue came up Tuesday in Washington when Republican Gov. Mike Parson participated in a discussion about reopening schools across the nation.

At one point, Trump asked Parson: “And you won’t be changing the name ‘St. Louis’, will you? Huh?”

Parson chuckled and replied, “No, we will not be doing that.”

Trump replied: “Thank you. Thank you very much. That’s very important. Thank you very much.”

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition to change the name of St. Louis. Activists have cited concerns about the treatment of Jewish and Muslim people by the city’s namesake, 13th Century French King Louis IX. The petition also calls for a statue of the king to be removed from Forest Park. It does not suggest an alternative name for the city.

Scrutiny that began with statues and monuments to the confederacy have extended to other historical figures, and to some buildings, streets and cities named for them.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said last month that she opposes a city name change, calling it a “distraction to a lot of hard work that we all need to do.”