Donald Trump says name of the Gulf of Mexico will be changed to Gulf of America

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday his intent to pursue renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," a move he described as having a "beautiful ring to it."

This is the latest in a series of remarks from Trump suggesting changes to geographical nomenclature in the Western Hemisphere. He has previously referred to Canada as the “51st State,” urged Denmark to consider selling Greenland, and proposed that Panama return the Panama Canal.

Why is Trump suggesting a name change for the Gulf of Mexico?

Trump’s relationship with Mexico has long been contentious, stemming from issues like border security and trade. During his 2016 campaign, he pledged to build a border wall and have Mexico fund it, leading to frequent clashes with the neighboring country. While his administration ultimately completed or refurbished about 450 miles of border wall, Mexico did not pay for it.

The Gulf of Mexico, often called the United States’ “Third Coast,” touches five southeastern states. Its name in Spanish, El Golfo de México, mirrors its English designation. The linguistic divide over names extends to the river separating Texas and Mexico: Americans call it the Rio Grande, while Mexicans refer to it as the Rio Bravo.

Can Trump unilaterally rename the Gulf of Mexico?

Renaming the gulf would require international agreement and is unlikely to be a unilateral decision. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), which oversees the naming of seas and waterways, would play a key role. While countries often use localized names for shared bodies of water, significant changes to international maps require broad consensus.

Domestically, the U.S. has occasionally renamed geographic landmarks. For example, in 2015, President Barack Obama approved renaming Mount McKinley to Denali, a decision Trump has said he wants to reverse.

Following Trump’s comments, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene stated during a podcast interview that she would propose legislation to rename the Gulf of Mexico, suggesting it would also address funding for updated maps and federal documentation.

The origin of the Gulf of Mexico’s name

The Gulf of Mexico has carried its name for over four centuries, likely derived from the indigenous city of “Mexico.” The name has remained consistent in historical cartography.

Previous efforts to rename the Gulf of Mexico

Renaming the Gulf is not a new idea. In 2012, a Mississippi lawmaker jokingly introduced a bill to rename the portion of the gulf touching the state’s coastline as the “Gulf of America.” The proposal, however, never advanced. Similarly, comedian Stephen Colbert suggested the name “Gulf of America” on his show after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, joking that, “We broke it, we bought it.”

Broader international disputes over place names

The renaming of geographic features is a global issue. For instance:

• The Sea of Japan is contested by South Korea and North Korea, with South Korea advocating for the name "East Sea" due to its colonial history.
• The Persian Gulf, referred to as the "Arabian Gulf" in some Middle Eastern countries, has been subject to political disputes, with Iran opposing alternative naming conventions.
• Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once joked that by China’s logic in claiming most of the South China Sea, the U.S. could have named the Pacific Ocean the “American Sea” after World War II.

Trump’s proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico reflects a larger trend of using geographical designations as political tools, though whether this idea gains traction remains uncertain.