You might've seen it on your phone last year. You open Google Maps to check the weather or look at a vacation spot in Florida, and suddenly, the massive blue expanse south of Louisiana isn't labeled "Gulf of Mexico" anymore. It says Gulf of America.
Honestly, it felt like a glitch or a meme that went too far. But it wasn't a glitch. It was real.
On January 20, 2025—his first day back in the Oval Office—President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14172, titled "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness." This wasn't just some vague campaign promise or a stray tweet. It was a direct order to the federal government to stop using the term "Gulf of Mexico" and start using "Gulf of America" for the U.S. portion of those waters.
So, can a president actually do that? Basically, yes—but with a huge asterisk.
The Power of the Pen: How Trump Changed the Name
The legal reality is kinda weird. A U.S. President has zero power to tell the United Nations or the country of Mexico what to call a body of water. However, the President is the boss of the executive branch. That means he can tell the Department of the Interior, the Coast Guard, and NOAA exactly what words to put on their maps.
Trump’s order specifically targeted the U.S. Continental Shelf. He directed the Secretary of the Interior to update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). This is the official "dictionary" of places for the federal government. Once the GNIS changed, the dominoes fell fast.
👉 See also: What Category Was Harvey? The Surprising Truth Behind the Number
- The National Weather Service started issuing alerts for the "Gulf of America."
- The Coast Guard updated its regulations in the Federal Register.
- Federal contracts for offshore drilling began using the new nomenclature.
By March 2025, if you were a government employee, you weren't "in" the Gulf of Mexico anymore. You were in the Gulf of America. Period.
Why Google and Apple Played Along
This is where it gets interesting for the rest of us. You'd think private companies would just ignore a political name change, right? Wrong.
Big Tech companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft usually follow the "official" source for their regions. When the U.S. government officially changed the GNIS entry, the algorithms at Google Maps reacted. By February 10, 2025, users inside the United States started seeing "Gulf of America" on their screens.
But there’s a catch. If you were sitting in a coffee shop in Mexico City or London, your map still said "Gulf of Mexico." Tech companies use geofencing to show different names to different people based on where they are. It’s the same way they handle the "Sea of Japan" vs. "East Sea" dispute. They just show you what your local government says is true.
The International Blowback
Predictably, Mexico wasn't thrilled. President Claudia Sheinbaum didn't hold back, calling the move a "violation of sovereignty" and even sarcastically suggesting that Mexico should start calling the United States "Mexican America."
✨ Don't miss: When Does Joe Biden's Term End: What Actually Happened
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the United Nations still recognize the name Gulf of Mexico. Since the water is shared by the U.S., Mexico, and Cuba, one country can't unilaterally change the name for everyone else.
It’s a lot like the Rio Grande. In the U.S., we call it that. In Mexico, they call it the Río Bravo. Both names are "correct" depending on which side of the border you’re standing on. Trump’s move basically turned the Gulf into a giant version of that—a body of water with an identity crisis depending on your GPS coordinates.
Congress and the "Gulf of America Act"
While the Executive Order changed things for federal agencies, the Trump administration wanted something more permanent. An executive order can be undone by the next president with a single stroke of a pen.
In early 2025, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a bill to codify the change into public law. The House passed the bill on May 8, 2025. This was a big deal because it meant that even if a future president wanted to change it back, they’d need Congress to agree. As of right now, the Senate is still the bottleneck, and the name's legal status remains a mix of "official federal usage" and "international dispute."
What Most People Get Wrong
A common misconception is that this change makes "Gulf of Mexico" illegal to say. Not even close.
🔗 Read more: Fire in Idyllwild California: What Most People Get Wrong
The First Amendment exists. You can call it whatever you want. The Associated Press (AP) famously refused to adopt the new name, leading to a minor scandal when the White House stopped inviting their reporters to certain events. Most scientists, academics, and international shipping companies still use "Gulf of Mexico" because that’s what’s in the textbooks and global maritime charts.
Actionable Insights: Navigating the New Name
If you live on the coast or work in a related industry, here is how this actually affects you:
- Maritime Contracts: If you're signing a lease or a shipping agreement, check the definitions. Most lawyers are now including clauses that say "Gulf of Mexico (also known as the Gulf of America)" to avoid any legal loopholes.
- SEO and Marketing: For business owners in Florida or Texas, you might want to start using both terms on your website. People are searching for both now, and you don't want to lose traffic because you're only using the "old" name.
- Education: If you’re a parent, don’t be surprised if your kid comes home with a map from school that says Gulf of America. If the school gets federal funding or uses federal maps, that’s likely what they’ll show.
- Travel: Don't worry about your tickets. Airlines and cruise lines are mostly sticking to international standards to avoid confusing passengers from other countries.
The name change is a classic example of how "official" reality and "actual" reality can diverge. Whether you love the new name or hate it, "Gulf of America" is now a permanent part of the U.S. federal lexicon.
To stay ahead of further geographic changes or policy shifts, keep an eye on the Federal Register updates. It’s the only way to know for sure what the government is calling the world you live in today.