The Gulf of America (and Why the Name Might Stick)

On the first day of his second term in office, President Trump signed twenty executive orders (more than any other US president on his first day in office). Of these orders, the one that has arguably gotten the most media attention is the executive order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. This particular order has become a running joke on the internet over the past week, but there are several reasons that this might stick.

Lack of International Regulation

First of all, there is no international body that has the authority to name international waters. Since no nation has jurisdiction over anything beyond its own territorial waters (and the fine print of Trump's executive order renames only the portion of the Gulf that borders US territory), there is no international body or agency that is going to be able to counteract this move. There is no expectation for Mexico (or any other country) to use the terminology. This is not the first time that two countries have referred to a shared body of water by different names. The body of water that most of the world refers to as the Persian Gulf is called the Arabian Gulf in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states who claim the majority of its coastline.

The President's Authority

Alexander Hamilton

Although the president of the United States has no authority to make laws, he has very broad powers as the head of the executive branch of government. In Federalist No. 70, Alexander Hamilton explains the idea of a unitary executive, in which the president has full and complete control over the functions of the executive branch of government. When it comes to naming bodies of water, mountains, or federal parks, the president can direct the executive branch to rename anything (as long as congressional legislation does not say otherwise). Since the Gulf of Mexico has gone by the same name ever since the time of the conquistadors, Congress has never had a reason to name it. So in this case, when President Trump says that it's going to be called the Gulf of America, every federal agency has to go along with that directive.

Cooperation of Republican Governors

The US Constitution created a federal system of government, in which state governments hold some of their powers independently from the federal government. As such, state authorities are not bound by any federal directive. For example, if President Trump were to rename the Pacific Ocean, he would likely encounter some pushback from the Democratic governors of California, Oregon, and Washington. However, this will not be the case with the Gulf formerly known as Mexico since all five Gulf states have Republican governors who will be more than willing to play along with the directive.

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida wasted no time making use of the new nomenclature. It is rare that a Florida governor has to issue a winter storm warning. Governor DeSantis chose this rare occasion to make a reference to an "area of low pressure moving across the Gulf of America." Even if this is all a big joke, Republican governors are already gleefully playing along.

US States by the Governor's Party in 2025 (Map Credit: Thesavagenorwegian)

Pan-American Implications

Although US citizens are fond of referring to themselves as "Americans" and their home country as "America," that is not to say that other inhabitants of the American continents are not Americans, as well. Neither a Canadian nor Colombian is any less of an American than someone who is from the United States. While it is unlikely that President Trump meant to rename the Gulf as a gesture of Pan-American unity, a name like the Gulf of America can suggest that the Gulf is a geographical feature that unifies the people of the American continents. As I noted in a brief essay I wrote about the retreat from imperialism and the Good Neighbor policy, American presidents in the 1920s and 1930s made efforts to build Pan-American unity. During the Cold War, the cooperation between the United States and neighboring governments in Latin America was crucial for limiting the influence of communism in the Americas.

It's Not That Deep

Perhaps the best thing that the Gulf of America has going for it (in terms of the name having staying power) is that it's frankly not that deep. While many have responded to the executive order with memes and jokes, few (if any) have responded with anger or indignation. This is not an issue that conjures up a great deal of serious opposition. When the president of Mexico was asked for her opinion on the matter, she responded with her own joke about how beautiful it might be if she ordered the entire North American continent to be renamed Mexican America. She added that she expects to have a good working relationship with President Trump (just as her predecessor had gotten along with him during his first term in spite of hardline rhetoric about the border). If anyone were to be indignant about this, it would be Mexico's head of state; but at the end of the day, no one cares. And that just might be the best thing that the Gulf of America has going for it.