Trump will order the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” today

On his first day in office, President Trump announced a series of executive orders, including plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and restore the name Mount McKinley to what is currently Denali.

“America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring awe and admiration around the world,” Trump declared during his inauguration speech. “A short time from now, we will rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it belongs.”

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican and frequent Trump critic, expressed strong opposition to renaming Denali. “The mountain has been called Denali for thousands of years by the Native Athabascan people, meaning ‘the great one,’” she said. “If President Trump wants to make everything great, I’d remind him that we already have a great name for it. I’ve spoken to him about this, and I plan to keep talking about it.”

Trump’s intentions to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America were first revealed during the presidential transition. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene later stated she would introduce legislation to formalize the renaming on federal maps and policies. However, international compliance with such a change remains uncertain.

While the United States could enforce the name change in federal contexts, other nations would not be obligated to follow suit. According to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), which oversees the standardized naming and charting of global waterways, the U.S. and Mexico both have representation in decisions regarding shared waters, such as the Gulf of Mexico.

The question of sovereignty in the Gulf of Mexico further complicates the matter. Maritime jurisdiction in the Gulf is divided between the U.S. and Mexico, with boundaries starting at the mouth of the Rio Grande and extending outward in a fixed line, according to the U.S. State Department.

Under the 1953 Submerged Lands Act, U.S. states have rights to natural resources in submerged lands up to 3 nautical miles from their coastlines in most regions, including the Gulf of Mexico. Exceptions exist for Texas and the west coast of Florida, where jurisdiction extends up to 3 marine leagues (approximately 9 nautical miles) into the Gulf.

The controversy surrounding Trump’s proposals is reminiscent of the 2015 decision by President Barack Obama to officially rename Mount McKinley as Denali, honoring its longstanding traditional name among Native Alaskans. Although the name Mount McKinley had been federally recognized, the peak had been informally called Denali in Alaska for decades.

Greene, however, maintained a firm stance on renaming the Gulf of Mexico, stating, “It’s our gulf. The rightful name is the Gulf of America, and that’s what the entire world should call it.”