Trump Wants to Rename the Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday a controversial proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” escalating his rhetoric against Mexico.

He also criticised Mexico for contributing to increased drug trafficking into the U.S. and vowed to impose substantial tariffs on both Mexico and Canada.

The Gulf of Mexico, historically known as the “Golfo de México” since the mid-16th century, spans approximately 600,000 square miles and is the ninth-largest body of water in the world. The name was first recorded on maps during Spanish colonial rule over the regions now recognised as Cuba, Mexico, and parts of the U.S.

This isn’t the first time the idea of renaming the Gulf has surfaced. In 2012, Mississippi State Representative Steve Holland jokingly proposed a bill to rename it the “Gulf of America,” criticising Republican anti-immigrant policies. Holland later clarified that the proposal was satirical, intended to highlight discriminatory rhetoric.