Donald Trump, in one of his first acts as the 47th President, has officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America through an executive order. The move, which Trump described as “renewing the pillars of American civilization,” ends over 400 years of the Gulf’s historic name. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has already adopted the new name in state legislation, and federal agencies have been instructed to implement the change within 30 days.
However, the renaming has sparked international backlash. The UK has refused to adopt the new name, stating that one country cannot unilaterally change it. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum also rejected the decision, affirming the Gulf’s original name.
This renaming follows Trump’s other controversial orders, including reverting Alaska’s Denali mountain back to Mount McKinley, undoing a 2015 change by President Barack Obama to honor Indigenous heritage.
