International
Mexican President responds to Trump’s gulf renaming plan, says why not Mexican America?

Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, delivered a sharp retort to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump over his controversial proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
During her Wednesday press briefing, Sheinbaum stood before a historical 17th-century map labeling North America as “Mexican America,” using it to highlight the region’s deep cultural and historical ties to Mexico.
“Why don’t we call it [the United States] Mexican America?” Sheinbaum quipped, referencing the longstanding internationally recognized name of the Gulf of Mexico. “It sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
She continued, “He talked about names, so we too are talking about names. But let’s be clear, the Gulf of Mexico is the name recognized by the United Nations.”
Despite her pointed remarks, Sheinbaum expressed optimism for bilateral relations with the incoming U.S. administration. “We hope to maintain good relations with President-elect Trump, regardless of his remarks,” she said.
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Trump had sparked the controversy a day earlier during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach. Proposing the name change, he described it as having a “beautiful ring” and said it was “appropriate” given the Gulf’s importance to the United States.
“That covers a lot of territory—The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name, and it’s appropriate,” Trump stated.
The President-elect’s comments also included pointed criticisms of Mexico and Canada, accusing them of failing to curb illegal border crossings into the U.S. He reiterated his plans to impose steep tariffs on both countries as a punitive measure.
“Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country,” Trump said. “They can stop them, and we’re going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada because Canada—they come through Canada too. The drugs that are coming through are at record numbers.”
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