Mexico President Rejects Trump's Gulf Rebrand, Suggests New Name For US

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has responded to US President-elect Donald Trump's suggestion to rename the Gulf of Mexico, proposing, instead, that the United States be called “Mexican America.” Her sharp reaction came in response to Trump's Tuesday announcement that he intended to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

The 62-year-old Mexican leader appeared on TV with historical evidence, displaying a 1607 map identifying the Gulf of Mexico by its current name and North America as “Mexican America.”

“Why don't we call it Mexican America? It sounds nice, no?” Sheinbaum said. She also added that Trump's assertion that violent drug cartels controlled Mexico was incorrect, saying that the country was governed by “the people.”

En este mapa que presento de 1607, América del Norte es llamada América Mexicana, que es el mismo título que tiene la Constitución de Apatzingán. pic.twitter.com/BwtHDxYhdn

— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) January 9, 2025

Describing his vision for the name change, Trump said, “We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America. What a beautiful name, and it's appropriate.”

The Gulf of Mexico has retained its name for centuries, and any such renaming would likely face significant logistical challenges, including updates to maps and international agreements.

Trump's announcement went beyond renaming the Gulf, with the president-elect musing about annexing Greenland and the Panama Canal Zone using military force. He also proposed using “economic force” to make Canada the 51st state.

The president-elect reiterated his hardline stance on illegal immigration and trade policies, threatening Mexico with a 25 per cent tariff if it failed to curb migration. “Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country,” Trump said. “We're going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada because Canada, they come through Canada too, and the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers.”

Donald Trump is set to take office on January 20. Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene has already proposed a bill to fund changes to federal maps and documents if the renaming proceeds.