After taking the oath of office on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump addresses a gathering of supporters at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. During the event, the president signed a number of executive orders.
President Donald Trump Executive Orders
Shortly after taking the oath of office, President Donald Trump signed his first set of executive orders on Monday at the Capital One Arena. Speaking to an audience of about 20,000 applauding supporters, Trump declared his intention to rename geographic landmarks, encourage oil drilling, and take swift action on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump suggested changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and changing the name of Mount Denali to Mount McKinley as part of the executive orders. However, is renaming such historically significant places even feasible?
This is how it might operate:
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: On January 20, 2025, in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump executes executive orders. Trump becomes the 47th president of the United States and begins his second term in office. (Image courtesy of Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker)
Gulf of America: Can the name be changed?
We know:
In a nutshell: Perhaps.
Since international approval isn’t always necessary, name changes may be simpler to achieve when a body of water is located inside a nation’s borders.
For example, naming variations based on national preferences are permitted by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), which regulates naming rules for bodies of water globally. This implies that various nations may use different names to refer to the same place.
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is in charge of approving official names for geographical features in the country, including landmarks. Nonetheless, the following guidelines apply to the process:
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A place cannot be named after a person unless they ve been deceased for at least five years and have a significant association with the location.
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Names considered derogatory toward a racial, ethnic, gender, or religious group are prohibited.
Only name-change proposals that are concurrently being examined by Congress will be taken into consideration by the BGN.
How could it work?
Look more closely:
The Secretary of the Interior has 30 days to begin renaming the Gulf and Mount Denali, according to the executive order, which was issued on January 20. This entails going over the regulations and sending the proposal for review.
The Gulf of Mexico and other international seas do not require Mexico’s approval.
The IHO points out that different nations frequently refer to the same body of water by different names. For instance:
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The Sea of Japan is referred to by other countries as the East Sea.
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The Rio Grande, which forms part of the U.S.-Mexico border, is known as “R o Bravo” in Mexico.
Should it be accepted, the United States might start changing official documents and maps to use the term “Gulf of America,” while Mexico and other nations might keep using “Gulf of Mexico.”
Why does Trump want to rename the Gulf?
The Gulf is essential to American trade, natural resources, and tourism, and it has a significant impact on the nation’s economy, according to a White House statement. Trump maintained that changing the Gulf’s name would honor its significance to the United States.
What they’re saying:
“The Gulf of Mexico will now be known as the Gulf of America, which has a stunning ring that encompasses a large area. America’s Gulf. What a lovely name. And it’s right,” Donald Trump declared.
Why does Trump want to rename Mount Denali?
The highest peak in the United States, Mount Denali or Mount McKinley, in Denali National Park, Alaska, in 2003. (Getty Images/Buddy Mays photo).
Trump suggested changing the name of Mount Denali, the highest mountain in North America, back to Mount McKinley in another executive order. Originally named for President William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, the mountain is in Alaska.
Former President Barack Obama reinstated the mountain’s original name in 2015. “The great one” or “the high one” is what Denali means in Athabascan. Since the 1970s, many locals and Alaska Natives have pushed for the move, although those in McKinley’s home state of Ohio were against it.
What they’re saying:
Trump justified the name restoration by citing McKinley’s legacy. “We will honor President McKinley, who made our country rich through tariffs and economic vision,” Trump stated.
377869 73: From 1897 to 1901, William McKinley served as the 25th President of the United States. (Image courtesy of Newsmakers/National Archive)
Who was President William McKinley?
The backstory
The 25th President of the United States was William McKinley, who took office in 1897. Known for his leadership during a period of economic and military expansion, former President McKinley was an Ohio Republican.
In 1901, early in his second term, McKinley was killed in Buffalo, New York, while attending a public function. He was shot twice in the chest while welcoming people in a receiving line. At first, doctors thought McKinley would get better, but his condition deteriorated due to gangrene, which was brought on by a lack of blood flow to his tissues.
What they’re saying:
The McKinley Museum states that he is credited for “leading the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War and raising protective tariffs to promote American industry.”
Rupert’s Land, Mexico, and the United States are shown on a map of North America from 1826. Rupert’s Land, which had been owned by the Hudson Bay Company from 1670 to 1870, was sold to Canada in 1870 for 300,000 pounds sterling. (Image via Getty Ima by Michael Maslan/Corbis/VCG)
Why is it called the Gulf of Mexico?
For over four centuries, the Gulf of Mexico has been referred to by that name.It is thought that the Native American city of Mexico is where the term first appeared. The term appears on historical maps from the late 1500s, particularly those created by English explorer Sir Francis Drake.
Throughout history, other names have emerged, such as “Sea of the North” and “Gulf of New Spain,” but “Gulf of Mexico” has remained the most often used.
Has anyone tried this before?
A Mississippi senator suggested changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in 2011 in order to refer to the areas of the ocean that come into contact with American coasts. According to reports, the idea failed and was a political ploy to draw attention to immigration difficulties.
Following the oil disaster in the Gulf, celebrities like Stephen Colbert made jokes about it, saying things like, “We broke it, we bought it.”
Alaska and Ohio have been at odds over Mount Denali’s categorization since the 1970s, and the dispute has lasted for decades.
Timetable:
The Secretary of the Interior has thirty days to review the regulations and approve them. Depending on the IHO’s judgment, the Gulf’s name might be formally altered on U.S. maps and contracts if it is successful, but the international community might decide to keep it the same.
A statement issued by the White House, information from Donald Trump’s inauguration speech, the International Hydrographic Organization, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, Associated Press, McKinley Museum, National Park Service, and the Government of the United States of Mexico are the sources of the information in this article.
