The Gulf of Mexico, a body of water most people in North America recognize and have most likely swam in, has been renamed from an executive order by President Donald Trump. The action has received more attention than many other executive orders Trump has signed since being in the Oval Office.
According to a Jan. 7 video published by the Associated Press, Trump announced before his inauguration that he would sign an executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
“The Gulf of America, what a beautiful name,” Trump said in the video. “It’s appropriate.”
Feb. 9, the U.S. Continental Shelf area was officially renamed the Gulf of America. The White House also declared Feb. 9 as Gulf of America Day and encouraged U.S. citizens to observe the day through ceremonies, programs and activities.
Apple Maps, Google Maps and Google Earth have officially erased the Gulf of Mexico and replaced it with the Gulf of America. Mexico has requested Google to change back the name or a lawsuit will be in order, according to the AP.
“Kind of a political power grab, that is what it is,” said Ohio University geography professor Timothy Anderson about Trump changing the name. “It’s a way of sort of reclaiming, ‘we’re going to assert our authority,’ and if you think about it, that’s what naming a place does.”
For a body of water shared by both the U.S. and Mexico, Trump’s remarks primarily emphasized its significance from an American perspective. However, the Gulf has also been important to Mexico in many ways.
“The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people,” the White House’s website reads.
Anderson said this action is a way of obtaining more power by President Trump but is a complex issue.
“Some people might see it as a really kind of weakness and kind of like the term little man syndrome, where someone wants to be really strong, but they’ll kind of act out in order to reclaim that,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the history of the name behind the Gulf of Mexico comes from European explorers who came upon the gulf in the 16th century.
“I think oftentimes there are bodies of water that are called different things by different countries, a good example would be the Gulf of California,” Anderson said. “Sometimes you’ll see it on maps as the Sea of Cortez; sometimes you’ll see it on maps as the Gulf of California.”
Although the Gulf of Mexico is now legally the Gulf of America, Anderson said people will still refer to it as the Gulf of Mexico because there is no way to enforce the name change.
“Are you going to arrest someone who calls up the Gulf of America? No. So in Mexico, it will still be referred to as the Gulf of Mexico,” Anderson said.
However, the White House restricted AP News reporters from entering a briefing because the AP Stylebook has not changed the term, sparking a lawsuit citing freedom of speech.
The AP Stylebook is a guide for American English grammar and vocabulary, created by journalists for journalists.
The AP sued three Trump administration officials Friday. The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded, saying, “We’ll see them in court,” according to an AP report.
Trump said AP reporters will continue to be restricted from entering events and news conferences if the AP Stylebook does not change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
“President Trump was elected during this period when, obviously, there’s a part of the electorate that wants to kind of reclaim an American identity,” Anderson said. “‘You can call it the Gulf of Mexico, but we’re going to call it the Gulf of America, darn it,’ and to kind of reflect this kind of strength.”
Mexico has several other issues to deal with, such as immigration and the tariffs imposed by the U.S. government. The name of the Gulf is something that is not worth fighting over, Anderson said.
“I honestly just didn’t really believe that it would happen and was necessary,” Liam Thieme, a junior majoring in biological sciences and wildlife conservation, said.
Thieme said there are more important issues, namely health care and climate change, and renaming a body of water feels disrespectful toward Mexico.
“It just kind of seemed like almost a way to get people distracted from the actual issues in the country, and just almost a power move to try to create dominance over other people,” Thieme said.
The U.S. employs workers inside the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, dedicating the purpose to maintaining and establishing consistent usage of geographic names. With the gulf’s renaming, Anderson believes that with time it will become confusing if another president decides to legally change it back.
“This could get very confusing, and I think that the U.S. Board of Geographic Names’ goal is not confusion,” Anderson said. “Their goal is to have order and to have an official name that everyone can agree upon.”
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Publish date : 2025-02-24 16:11:00
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