President Donald Trump has disclosed intention to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
Trump has repeatedly clashed with Mexico over a number of issues, including border security and the imposition of tariffs on imported goods.
He vowed then to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and make Mexico pay for it.
The Gulf of Mexico is often referred to as the United States’ “Third Coast” due to its coastline across five southeastern states. Mexicans use a Spanish version of the same name for the gulf: “El Golfo de México.”
In 2012, a member of the Mississippi Legislature proposed a bill to rename portions of the gulf that touch that state’s beaches “Gulf of America,” a move the bill author later referred to as a “joke.” That bill, which was referred to a committee, did not pass.
“America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on Earth, inspiring the awe and admiration of the entire world,” he said on Monday during his inaugural speech.
“A short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America,” he added.
