On his first day in office, President Trump issued a wave of executive orders, including a bold announcement to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and restore Alaska’s Denali to its previous name, Mount McKinley.
America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, and most respected nation on earth, inspiring awe and admiration across the globe,” President Trump declared during his inauguration speech. Soon, we’ll be renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and we’ll honor the legacy of a great president, William McKinley, by restoring his name to Mount McKinley—where it belongs.
During the presidential transition, Trump had promised to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene supported the move, stating that she’d instruct her staff to draft legislation making the name change official on federal maps and administrative policies.
While such a renaming could apply to U.S. government references, international recognition of the change wouldn’t be guaranteed.
In 2015, then-President Barack Obama officially renamed Mount McKinley as Denali, recognizing the traditional Native Alaskan name for the nation’s highest peak. For years, Alaskans had informally called it Denali, though its federal designation had remained Mount McKinley until Obama’s decision.
Can Trump rename the Gulf of Mexico?
The International Hydrographic Organization, responsible for standardizing the naming of the world’s oceans, seas, and waterways, includes both the U.S. and Mexico as member nations. While the U.S. could alter the name for domestic use, Mexico and other countries would not be obligated to adopt the change.
Who owns the Gulf of Mexico?
Congresswoman Greene backed her support for the name change by stating, “It’s our gulf. The rightful name is the Gulf of America, and the entire world should refer to it as such.” However, the U.S. State Department clarifies that the Gulf of Mexico is shared between the United States and Mexico, with a maritime border starting at the center of the Rio Grande’s mouth.
Jurisdiction over the Gulf is divided: the U.S. controls its portion, and Mexico governs its side. According to the Submerged Lands Act (SLA) of 1953, individual states have rights to submerged lands and natural resources up to 3 nautical miles from their coastlines—except Texas and Florida’s Gulf Coast, where jurisdiction extends up to 3 marine leagues.
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