Following President Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, the White House immediately issued an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Under the pretense of restoring America’s greatness, a toponym that has been accepted worldwide since the 1600’s has been exchanged for a label meant to celebrate its role in shaping a part of the United States’ economic success. In the official executive order signed by Trump, the gulf is praised for its bountiful contribution to American fisheries, trade, and tourism, but besides acknowledging the gulf by its former name once, there are no further mentions of Mexico.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum is having none of it. A month previous, when Trump first shared his idea of renaming the large body of water the two countries shared, Sheinbaum was unthreatened. She instead joked that North America should be renamed “América Mexicana,” or Mexican America. Both this name and the Gulf of Mexico can be seen on a rough navigation map drawn in 1607.
When Trump issued the official order this past Monday, President Sheinbaum kept her composure. She firmly insisted that the name that has been used for over 400 years will continue to be used by Mexico and the entire world. Besides the renaming, Sheinbaum has bigger problems to deliberate: the mass deportations the Trump administration is vowing to exact on illegal immigrants, many of whom include Mexican citizens who crossed over the border searching for better opportunities.
Additionally, only parts of the gulf in U.S. territorial waters are being renamed, totaling to less than half of the entire body of water. Perhaps this is a contributing factor to why Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum remains largely unfazed. In the United States, the order says that the new name will be put into place within 30 days. It has already been adopted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the US Coast Guard. However, Mexico still sees the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico, and so far no other countries have made a comment on the change. The leader of Mexico showing support for the original name sets an example for the Mexican people to stand by a resource that has helped advance not only America, but their own nation as well.
Works Cited
Gersh, Peter. “Donald Trump Proposes Changing the Gulf of America’s Name in a New Campaign Push.” USA Today, 21 Jan. 2025,
www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2025/01/21/donald-trump-gulf-of-ameri ca-name-change/77850538007/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
“Mexico’s President Amused by Trump’s Order to Rename the Gulf of Mexico.” AP News, 2025,
apnews.com/article/mexico-us-trump-gulf-name-046f765d52fc9d05d83bbca4b2017539. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
“Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.” The White House, The United States Government, 2025,
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-names-that-honor-american greatness/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Rogers, Paul. “Can President Trump Rename the Gulf of Mexico as ‘the Gulf of America’ and Denali as ‘Mount McKinley?’” The Mercury News, 2025,
www.mercurynews.com/2025/01/22/can-trump-rename-the-gulf-of-mexico-as-the-gulf-of -america-and-denali-as-mount-mckinley-is-that-legal/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.