In 1550, an ocean surrounded by the United States and Mexico was named the “Gulf of Mexico”—in 2025, President Donald Trump renamed it the “Gulf of America.” For many supporters of Trump, this decision may seem innocuous or insignificant, but for others, this decision once again proves that Trump should not have seen the inside of the Oval Office again.
This decision to rename the Gulf came after his Jan. 20th inauguration, where he signed numerous executive orders. This action was a surprise to the country—even the world—and we were all shocked to see the newly inaugurated president working on changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. There were other pressing issues that he could have been working on, like the mass killings of children in schools, healthcare access, and poverty issues. To reiterate, this was one of his first executive orders.
Changing the name of an ocean.
This renaming also highlighted another issue that this incoming administration was going to perpetuate—the world revolves around the U.S.
Yes, the U.S. is constantly in the news, but renaming “Mexico” to highlight America only shows that Trump wants the world to revere him because he has the power to change the name of a whole ocean to show that America is the “number one.” Unbeknownst to him, as it seems, this renaming would only be followed in the U.S., not in other countries.
What Trump fails to realize is that the U. S. is not the most important country in the world, and neither is he. These unneeded actions, such as renaming the Gulf, make the world see us as a laughingstock, not a powerful nation. “Why would he change the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America?” is what citizens of numerous countries are uttering constantly on social media. They don’t want to see pure comical news such as a president renaming an ocean.
This decision is just arrogant of the current President that it makes us Americans, the people that live here, sigh. The majority of us are annoyed with the fact that he would rename it when there was no reason to. The most we hear about the Gulf is during the hurricane season—something that happens annually and doesn’t affect anyone besides those who live in the south or hurricane region. Frankly, the Gulf is just there; some even forget about it.
The fact that President Trump felt the need to change the Gulf is concerning, and Americans should be cautious of what he and his administration will be doing next.
The President has uttered other actions that he plans on doing like pardoning Jan. 6 rioters, deporting millions of immigrants, and his recent announcement on “taking over Gaza.”
Additionally, the President’s action of changing the Gulf’s name adds to an undertone of racism. The current president has never been shy of voicing his opinions about Mexico, so changing the name added the cherry on top for him. Renaming the Gulf is an attempt to take Mexico off the maps, which would “help” the country because it would keep the U.S.’s crime rate down. Him not distinguishing that the people who commit these crimes do not represent the whole population of Mexico shows that there is a limited amount of thought that goes into what he publicly says or does.
As a country, the American people need to remember that if there is any concern about how dangerous an administration can be: you can protest, and if the worst comes to the worst, overthrow it.
