Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14172, officially directing that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America. Trump, who announced on Jan. 20, stated that the Gulf plays a “pivotal role” in U.S. security and economic prosperity. This measure has caused major international discontent and clashing opinions between American politicians and citizens.
The name, The Gulf of Mexico, has been the name since the Spanish arrived to the Americas. Its current name first appeared on a world map in 1550, over 220 years before the United States of America changed its name from the “United Colonies.”
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene immediately ordered her staff to draft legislation that would formally push the name change through Congress.
“It’s our gulf,” Greene said. “The rightful name is the Gulf of America, and it’s what the entire world should refer to it as.”
To commemorate the decision, Trump later declared Feb. 9 as “Gulf of America Day,” describing the renaming effort as part of his mission to “restore American pride” early in his administration.
Some see the renaming effort as a symbolic act rather than a practical one. Amy Sumpter, professor of geography at GCSU, views the decision as the administration’s attempt to reassert American influence.
“Trump’s priority is really to kind of reestablish what he sees as American dominance,” Sumpter said. “He is pursuing some older strategies that we saw during the colonial times and the early twentieth century where things were named for people who discovered them or who owned them. It’s just the President’s way of flexing his muscles and showing the power of the executive branch.”
Despite Trump’s directive, major media organizations have resisted adopting the new name. After Trump signed the executive order, the “Associated Press”, or AP, updated its style guide on Jan. 23, confirming that it would continue using “Gulf of Mexico.” Other major outlets, including “The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times,” have maintained similar policies. However, Trump’s frustration over the AP’s decision led him to ban its reporters from the Oval Office, where the agency had long been a part of the press pool.
After the measurement, Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents Association, called the White House decision unacceptable and that they cannot decide how news organizations report the news.
Following the decision, the AP filed a lawsuit against four Trump administration officers, using freedom of speech as the main issue factor. The Constitution’s First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press, speech and religion, which is raising questions of whether or not the White House’s barring of AP is constitutional.
“I believe that the recent news of the name change of the Gulf of America will not stand past the Trump administration,” said Madelyn Agostini, a junior mass communication major. “After the Associated Press published their press release announcing how journalistic communities will refer to the gulf, I do not believe that the international community will refer to it as the Gulf of America.”
International responses have been largely dismissive. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum initially responded to the renaming suggestion with sarcasm, proposing that the U.S. be renamed “Mexican America.”
“For us and for the entire world, it will continue to be called the Gulf of Mexico,” Sheinbaum said.
With media outlets refusing to adopt the new name and international leaders rejecting it, the future of the Gulf’s renaming remains uncertain. While the executive order has directed U.S. government agencies to implement the change, it is unclear whether the broader public — including international communities — will acknowledge the rebranding.