When President Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. presidential election, one of his priorities was to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” This ridiculous promise seems like a snippet from an episode of “The Simpsons,” right? Well, this is what the American people wanted, so I hope you’re happy with this outcome.

This international body of water is officially recognized as the Gulf of Mexico by the International Hydrographic Organization and the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, amongst other groups. Not only is the history of this gulf important, but it is vital to watch as the Trump administration executes a modern-day act of imperialism.

Ancient Mexica, specifically the Aztecs and Mayans, used the gulf as a major trade route and associated it with Chalchiuhtlicueyecatl, the deity of the seas.

When the name “Gulf of Mexico” appeared on a world map in 1550, it was common knowledge that you needed to cross the Gulf to reach your desired location. Therefore, the Europeans named the Gulf after México — the most common name for it since the 17th century, until now.

On the first day of his second term, Trump signed the executive order titled “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness,” which required the U.S. government to ignore centuries of history and adopt the patriotic yet obnoxious name “Gulf of America.”

The reasoning for this change was because Trump believes the U.S. does “most of the work” on the Gulf, and it should bear the American name “because it’s ours.” So, all of the history that involves the shaping of the Gulf doesn’t matter anymore, right?

Surprisingly, this name change already had support way before it was signed, notably from avid Trump supporter and U.S. Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). On Jan. 9, she introduced legislation proposing a name change to Congress, but Trump already had this plan set in stone.

“Our U.S. armed forces protect the area from any military threats from foreign countries,” she boldly stated then. “It’s our Gulf. The rightful name is the Gulf of America and it’s what the entire world should refer to it as.”

This order did not sit well with the American people, especially as serious pressing issues were put on the back burner. In fact, a Marquette University poll revealed that 71% of Americans opposed the renaming of the Gulf, while 29% favored it.

On Feb. 7, SO 3423, issued by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, ordered the Geographic Names Information System and the GEOnet Names Server to rename “the feature currently known as the Gulf of Mexico” to the nationalistic title that Trump championed during his campaign.

On Feb. 9, Trump visited the Gulf after its renaming and proclaimed that it was the first ever “Gulf of America Day.” He stated that it “is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America.”

On Feb. 12, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated during a normal briefing that the Trump administration will hold media outlets accountable if they are pushing “lies” in their stories, referring to Associated Press when they used “Gulf of Mexico” rather than the administration’s new name.

“And it is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America,” said Leavitt. “I’m not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that, but that is what it is.”

Google, Apple and a slew of oil companies have embraced the name change, showing the power that Trump has over some of the largest American corporations. Even the National Weather Service changed the name Tuesday morning and Google has blocked reviews for the Gulf of Mexico.

Yet, in the journalism world, this sudden name change and the punishment of barring AP reporters from the White House raises alarms about press freedom violations.

The White House Correspondents’ Association, The New York Times and Encycolepædia Britannica, to name a few, are refusing to adapt to this change. The fact that the Gulf has a rich history, this change is only in America and these outlets cater to an international audience are some of the reasons for this decision.

We simply cannot ignore history and the importance that the Gulf of Mexico holds on an international scale. Over 400 years of existence has enough merit to remain unaltered by an administration that simply wants to slap the American name on anything they deem to be “ours.” That is simply not a part of the patriotic values that many in this country hold.

Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez is a Medill sophomore. He can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.