Trump renaming of Gulf of Mexico only applies to US: Mexican President
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Shortly after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, President Trump signed an executive order initiating the renaming process.
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President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks to the crowd during an event marking her first 100 days in office, at the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, in Mexico City, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday addressed US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," emphasizing that the change would only apply to the US continental shelf.
"It is important to read what the order says. It says that it will be called the Gulf of America on their continental shelf. In other words, what corresponds to the US continental shelf, they call the Gulf of America. For us, it is still the Gulf of Mexico, as it is for the rest of the world," Sheinbaum explained during a press conference.
Sheinbaum also responded with humor to the move earlier this month, suggesting that Mexico might rename North America as "América Mexicana" if the US were to proceed with renaming the Gulf. "That sounds nice, no?" she added, referencing a historical document from 1814.
President Trump, shortly after being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, signed an executive order initiating the renaming process. The document directs the Secretary of the Interior to take "all appropriate actions" to implement the change within 30 days. Trump had previously announced this idea before his inauguration, framing it as part of his administration's broader policy goals.
Read more: Following his inauguration, Panama, Mexico vow to fight Trump schemes
This renaming initiative follows other executive actions by Trump, including an order to revert the name of Mount Denali back to Mount McKinley. While the Gulf renaming will apply only to US federal maps, the decision has sparked international discussion about the implications for geographical naming conventions and regional diplomacy.
The United Nations weighed in on the matter, with spokesperson Farhan Haq asserting that naming conventions should not be altered unilaterally.
"I don't have any particular reaction to this. I believe that a lot of the various naming conventions are well established and are not really the purview of any one individual state," Haq said on Tuesday.
