Trump wants to rename the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America.”

Topline

President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants to change the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America,” one of the latest controversial proposals to expand the U.S. global footprint.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, January 7, 2024. … (+) in Palm Beach, Florida (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Important facts

Trump announced during a news conference Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago that he would seek the name change in retaliation for immigration from Mexico, which he called “a very dangerous place.”

The name change was “appropriate” because “Mexico must stop pouring millions of people into our country,” Trump said, repeating his threat to impose “very severe tariffs on Mexico and Canada.”

The threat came after Trump suggested in recent weeks that the U.S. should take control of Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal.

During Tuesday’s briefing, Trump did not rule out using “military force or economic coercion” to take control of the Panama Canal or Greenland, telling a reporter who asked if he considered those two possible actions in connection with the planned takeovers “No, I can do that.” I assure you of neither of those two things.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said a short time later on the “

The U.S. has jurisdiction over about half of the Gulf of Mexico off the coasts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas, but the remainder is primarily controlled by Mexico, with a small portion in Cuban territory.

How did the Gulf of Mexico get its name?

According to the Texas State Historical Association, Spanish explorer Sebastián de Ocampo was the first European to discover the Gulf in the early 1600s, and it first appeared on maps as the “Gulf of Mexico” in the 1580s.

Important background

The announcement comes a day after Trump suggested that the US should buy Greenland, repeating a controversial idea he put forward in 2019. His son, Donald Trump Jr., is visiting the island on Tuesday for a day trip that he said is dedicated to tourism. Greenlandic and Danish officials have rejected the idea. Trump also jokingly suggested that Canada would be the “51st” on Monday. State” and suggested more seriously that he would demand control of the Panama Canal, complaining that the Panamanian government was charging the U.S. “highly unfair” fees for ships passing through the canal. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino rejected the proposal.

tangent

Trump has clashed with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after he threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico in November. In a sharply worded letter to Trump in response to his tariff proposal, Sheinbaum said, “For every tariff there will be a corresponding response,” pointing to the potential economic consequences for U.S. automakers with a presence in Mexico, according to multiple reports. “Migration and drug use in the United States cannot be combated through threats or tariffs,” she wrote.

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