If you woke up recently and saw a map where the water south of Louisiana looked a bit... different... you aren't hallucinating. Honestly, the internet has been buzzing for months about one question: did Trump change the name of Gulf of Mexico? The short answer is yes. Well, kinda.
It depends entirely on who you ask and which map you're looking at. If you’re a federal employee or looking at a government-issued topographical chart, it’s now the Gulf of America. If you’re literally anyone else in the world, or even just checking a standard textbook from two years ago, it’s still the Gulf of Mexico. It is one of the weirdest branding exercises in modern history.
The Day the Name Shifted
On January 20, 2025—inauguration day—President Trump signed Executive Order 14172. This wasn't some quiet memo buried in a filing cabinet. It was a direct order to the Secretary of the Interior. The goal? "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness." Basically, the order told federal agencies to stop using the term "Gulf of Mexico" and start using "Gulf of America."
He didn't stop there. He also reverted Denali, the highest peak in North America, back to its former federal name: Mount McKinley.
The logic was pure "America First." Trump argued at a Mar-a-Lago press conference that because the U.S. does "most of the work there" and maintains the security of the region, the name should reflect the country's dominance.
Is it even legal?
You've probably wondered if a president can just... do that. Can you just point at a massive body of water shared by three countries and rename it because you feel like it?
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Technically, for federal use, yes.
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is the body that handles this stuff. Usually, they’re pretty boring. They decide if a hill in Nebraska should be called a "mount" or a "peak." But when a President issues an Executive Order, the Department of the Interior—which oversees the BGN—has to follow suit. By February 14, 2025, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) had officially updated its database.
Here is how the transition rolled out across the government:
- The Coast Guard issued a final rule in March 2025 to scrub "Gulf of Mexico" from its regulations.
- The National Map Viewer and other USGS apps changed their labels.
- Federal agencies started "Gulf of America Day" on February 9.
But here’s the catch. The President’s power stops at the border.
The International "No Thank You"
Mexico was not exactly thrilled. President Claudia Sheinbaum actually mocked the move, suggesting that if we're playing that game, maybe North America should be renamed "Mexican America." It was a bit of a diplomatic nightmare.
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The United Nations doesn't recognize the change. To the rest of the planet, it’s still the Gulf of Mexico. International law is pretty clear that one country doesn't get to unilaterally rename a shared resource. Imagine if Canada decided the Great Lakes were now the "Great Canadian Puddles." It wouldn't stick.
The Map Wars: Google vs. The White House
This is where it gets really messy for us regular people. If you open Google Maps today, you might see "Gulf of America" or you might see "Gulf of Mexico."
Tech companies like Google and Apple often use a "localized" approach. If you are browsing from a U.S.-based IP address, their maps often show the federal name to avoid friction with local regulations or simply to reflect the "official" domestic stance. But if you’re sitting in a cafe in Mexico City or Madrid, your screen will still say Golfo de México.
The media went to war over this too.
- Fox News and Axios adopted the new name fairly quickly.
- The Associated Press (AP) refused.
This refusal led to a massive standoff where the White House actually barred AP reporters from certain events until a federal judge stepped in. The judge basically told the White House they couldn't punish a news outlet for using a 400-year-old name.
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Why does it matter?
You might think, "Who cares? It's just a label." But names carry weight.
For the fishing industry in Louisiana or the oil rigs off the coast of Texas, this created a mountain of paperwork. Every permit, every safety manual, and every shipping manifesto had to be scrutinized. Some companies updated everything to stay in the government's good graces. Others ignored it, betting that the next administration would just flip it back.
A poll by Marquette University in early 2025 showed that about 71% of Americans actually opposed the change. Most people felt it was an unnecessary distraction from bigger issues. But for the 29% who supported it, it was a symbol of national pride.
What you should do now
If you’re a business owner, a student, or just someone trying to navigate a boat, here’s the reality of the situation:
- Check your context. If you are filing federal paperwork or dealing with the U.S. Coast Guard, use Gulf of America. Using the old name could actually lead to administrative delays or rejected forms.
- Stay "Old School" for international trade. If you are shipping goods to Mexico or Cuba, keep using Gulf of Mexico. Using the new U.S. name in foreign ports is a great way to get your paperwork "lost" at the bottom of a pile.
- Update your SEO. if you’re a content creator or business in the region, start using both terms. People are searching for both now, and you don't want to lose traffic because you picked the "wrong" side of a geographic debate.
- Watch the courts. There are still ongoing legal challenges regarding the scope of Executive Orders over international bodies of water. This story isn't over.
The name change is real in the eyes of the U.S. government, but it's a "ghost name" to the rest of the world. Whether it sticks long-term depends entirely on the 2028 election and whether the "Gulf of America" becomes a permanent part of the American lexicon or just a footnote in a history book.