US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has congratulated Donald Trump for signing an executive order which renamed the Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America. Ms Burgum, who is serving as the 55th Secretary of the US Department of Interior, wrote on X, "It's official! Congratulations @POTUS on the Gulf of America! @Interior has implemented your instruction from the Executive Order on Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness. Another big win for President Trump's agenda to Make America Great Again."
It's official! Congratulations @POTUS on the Gulf of America! @Interior has implemented your instruction from the Executive Order on Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness. Another big win for President Trump's agenda to Make America Great Again. ???????? pic.twitter.com/nZtkDQTFO3
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) February 9, 2025
United States President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Sunday (local time) declaring February 9 as "the first-ever Gulf of America Day," celebrating the renaming of the area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico.
He also posted on X, Happy Gulf of America Day!"
Happy Gulf of America Day! ???????? pic.twitter.com/qCvJXfC4hz
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) February 9, 2025
Trump was on his way to the New Orleans for the Super Bowl 59 and signed this proclamation as Air Force One flew over the area he was renaming.
This follows the signing of Executive Order 14172 on January 20, 2025, which mandated the renaming of the US Continental Shelf area.
As part of the order, the Secretary of the Interior was directed to take the necessary actions to rename the area bounded by Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and extend to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba.
In a statement, President Trump explained his decision: "I took this action in part because, as stated in that Order, "[t]he area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America."
Sunday marked the President's first visit to the Gulf of America since the renaming, White House said, "As my Administration restores American pride in the history of American greatness, it is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America."
In his proclamation, Trump also said, "I call upon public officials and all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities."
Trump shared a video on X, signing the proclamation and stated, Make America great again, right. That's what we care about."
Google Maps said it will change the name of "Gulf of Mexico" to "Gulf of America" once it is officially updated in the US Geographic Names System, it said in an X post on January 27.
The change will be visible in the US, but it will remain "Gulf of Mexico" in Mexico.
Outside of the two countries, users will see both names.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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