US President Donald Trump has officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” and designated February 9 as “Gulf of America Day” through an executive order.
The order, titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” (Executive Order 14172), instructs the US Secretary of the Interior to formalize the name change within 30 days.
According to a statement from the White House, the executive order defines the newly named Gulf as encompassing the “US Continental Shelf area bounded to the northeast, north, and northwest by Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, extending to the maritime boundary with Mexico and Cuba.”
In explaining his decision, Trump stated in an official proclamation: “I have taken this action, as outlined in the order, because the body of water formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico has long been a vital resource for our once thriving nation and remains an enduring part of America.”
During a flight on Air Force One from Palm Beach, Florida, to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, Trump emphasized the significance of the renaming while passing over the Gulf. “As my administration reinstates American pride in our nation’s history and achievements, it is only right that we recognize this historic moment and the renaming of the Gulf of America,” he said, according to Fox5 DC.
Following the order, the US Coast Guard has already begun using the name “Gulf of America,” and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has 30 days to finalize the transition. The proclamation further encourages public officials and citizens to observe Gulf of America Day with “appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.”
