US President-elect Donald Trump has announced his intention to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” citing the United States' contributions to the region's development and his discontent with Mexico.
“We're going to change because we do most of the work there and it's ours,” Trump said during a wide-ranging news conference Tuesday. “It is appropriate and Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to come to our country.”
Trump criticized Mexico for facilitating drug trafficking into the United States and promised to impose “substantial tariffs” on both Mexico and Canada. Despite the harsh rhetoric, he added: “We want to get along with everyone. But you know… it takes two to tango.”
Shortly after Trump's statement, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, stated on social media platform X that she had ordered her staff to begin drafting legislation to implement the name change.
“This is important to begin funding map changes for all agencies within the federal government, such as the FAA and the military,” he wrote.
The Gulf of Mexico, a vital waterway in North America, has been historically important for centuries. Its current name, “Gulf of Mexico,” first appeared on 16th century maps during Spanish colonization.
With an area of approximately 600,000 square miles, it is the ninth largest body of water in the world and serves as a vital center for energy production, seafood supply and tourism in the United States.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Gulf accounts for half of the country's oil refining and natural gas processing capacity and provides 40% of its seafood.
However, this is not the first time a proposal to change the name of the gulf has arisen. In 2012, Mississippi state Rep. Steve Holland introduced a bill to rename it “Gulf of America,” in a satirical attack on anti-immigrant sentiments among his Republican colleagues.
“I just thought if we're going to go into this, we might as well all do it, it's purely ironic,” Holland said at the time.
The concept also gained humorous traction in 2010 when comedian Stephen Colbert suggested the name during the BP oil spill on The Colbert Report, joking, “We broke it, we bought it.”
The event comes just one day after the revival of Trump's controversial proposal for a merger between the United States and another North American country, Canada.
Tribune Online reports that Trump, in a social media post on Monday, argued that such a deal would eliminate tariffs, reduce taxes and bolster Canada's security against perceived threats from Russia and China.
He further stated that merging the two countries would create unparalleled economic and security advantages.
“If Canada merged with the United States, there would be no tariffs, taxes would be greatly reduced, and they would be completely safe from the threat of Russian and Chinese ships constantly surrounding them,” Trump posted.
“Together, what a great nation we would be!!!” he added.
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