Controversial plan
Can Trump rename the Gulf of Mexico?
US President-elect Donald Trump has surprised the international community with another controversial announcement. He declared his intention to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America". The reason: The new name would be "beautiful and fitting", according to Trump. But what does this announcement mean, and can a president actually implement it?
The US Board on Geographic Names (BGN), which is responsible for the standardization of geographical names within the US government, could theoretically consider such a change. "But this would require the approval of other countries," writes the Washington Post.
A current example: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland had the term "squaw" removed from geographical names in 2021. However, these changes only affected US territories. In 2012, US President Barack Obama had the highest mountain in the USA, Mount McKinley, renamed to the traditional name of the indigenous people - "Mount Denali". Trump announced his intention to revoke this renaming.
Trump received support from Republican MP Marjorie Taylor Greene. She announced on X (formerly Twitter) that she wanted to introduce a bill to rename the Gulf. "This is important to begin funding the map change for all agencies within the federal government," Greene said.
The renaming of international waters has already triggered diplomatic conflicts in the past. In 2020, for example, the name "Persian Gulf" remained official after intense debate between Iran and the Arab states, even though Arab countries are permitted to use "Arabian Gulf" in their internal communications. Similar renaming could cause similar tensions in the case of the Gulf of Mexico. Trump is aware of the potential resistance. Nevertheless, he seems determined to make another statement with this symbolic change. However, it remains to be seen whether the "Gulf of America" will ever become a reality.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to once again comment on Trump's latest vision with a wink: The chances of this happening are "as big as a snowball in hell".
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