In a bold move during his early days in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order officially renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The president framed the decision as part of his broader vision to “renew the pillars of American civilization.”
The executive order also includes a change in the name of Alaska’s highest peak, restoring its original title, Mount McKinley, from Denali. The US Secretary of the Interior has been tasked with updating federal maps to reflect these changes, with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum appointed to oversee the process.
At a press conference held at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump explained the reasoning behind the renaming, describing the Gulf as “currently run by cartels” and underscoring its strategic importance to the United States. “It’s ours,” Trump declared. “We’re going to change the name to the Gulf of America, a name that resonates with the territory it encompasses.”
The Gulf of Mexico, now known as the Gulf of America, covers an area of about 600,000 square miles, making it the ninth-largest body of water globally. The Gulf plays a significant role in the US economy, contributing around 50% of the nation’s petroleum refining and natural gas processing capacity, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Additionally, it supplies roughly 40% of the country’s seafood, as reported by the Environmental Defense Fund.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has already adopted the new name in official state documents, referencing the “Gulf of America” in an executive order discussing winter weather patterns. The order mentioned that an area of low pressure moving across the Gulf would interact with Arctic air, bringing winter weather to North Florida.
This name change, already being reflected in state-level documents, marks a notable shift in US geography and policy, symbolizing a new direction in how the country views its territorial and economic assets.
