President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday, Jan. 20, renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” Florida has become the first state to adopt the new name, using it in an official winter weather advisory.
The advisory, issued for a system moving through the gulf, warned of snow, sleet and freezing rain across the state.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed the change in the advisory. He stated that “an area of low pressure moving across the Gulf of America, interacting with Arctic air, will bring widespread impactful winter weather to North Florida.”
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Trump signed the executive order titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.”
The order states, in part: “The area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America. The Gulf was a crucial artery for America’s early trade and global commerce. It is the largest gulf in the world, and the United States coastline along this remarkable body of water spans over 1,700 miles and contains nearly 160 million acres.”
Before his inauguration, Trump suggested the name change, describing “Gulf of America” as having “a beautiful ring to it.”
The Gulf of Mexico has been known by its current name since 1672, according to the Library of Congress. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to the name change. She stated that Trump could call the gulf whatever he wanted on his side of the body of water.
While Trump has the authority to rename the gulf in the U.S., changing its name in government databases and official usage, other countries are not required to adopt the new name.
The International Hydrographic Organization, responsible for naming seas, oceans and navigable waters worldwide, has not commented on the executive order.
