(The Center Square) – President-elect Donald Trump has suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
The next president held a news conference from Mar-a-Lago just one day after the 2024 election results were certified by Congress.
“We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America,” said Trump. “What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate. It’s appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga, posted to X that she will be Trump’s loudest voice in Congress concerning the name change, stating, “I’ve directed my staff to immediately begin drafting legislation to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.”
She continued that it was important to begin funding the change of maps for all agencies within the federal government, such as the FAA and the military.
The name “Gulf of Mexico” has been used for centuries, dating back to Spanish explorers.
Much like the feasibility of implementing the name change, the timeline remains unclear, as The U.S. Board of Geographic Names, the agency that oversees place name changes, has not commented on the proposal.
Half of the Gulf is under U.S. jurisdiction, spanning Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas coasts. The other half is under Mexico’s jurisdiction, while a small portion is considered Cuban territory.
After winning the election, Trump vowed to hit America’s top trading partners – Mexico and Canada – with 25% tariffs on imported goods and singled out China for an additional 10% tariff.
Trump said he would put the tariffs in place on his first day in office and keep them in place until problems at the northern and southern border are fixed and China addresses its role in supplying the precursor chemicals needed to make fentanyl, a powerful opioid blamed for more than 75% of U.S. overdose deaths.
The president-elect recently suggested that the U.S. buy Greenland, take back control of the Panama Canal, and that Canada become the 51st state.
