The Gulf of Mexico was formed over 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period. It encompasses a variety of ecosystems, as well as holding a rich history of exploration, culture and trade. The Gulf is an essential trading highway and a protected intercoastal waterway that carries essential goods to the United States.
Countries use the Gulf of Mexico to trade goods and services such as seafood and oil. This supports over 300,000 jobs. On Jan. 20, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness” that took action to rename various U.S territories.
The Gulf of Mexico and the Denali mountain were recently renamed under Trump’s order. The territories are now federally referred to as the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley. Under the Obama Administration, Mount Mckinley, located in Alaska, was changed to Denali mountain in 2015 to display respect for the native people referred to as the Koyukon Athabascan people.
Denali, in their language, means “High one,” denoting the mountain being the tallest in North America. Due to the amount of resources received from the Gulf of Mexico and president William McKinley’s efforts, the Trump Administration felt it was best to rename it the Gulf of America. The name change was not well received by the Mexican government.
The Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, threatened to sue Google over changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on Google Maps, since America does not control the entire continental shelf. Google issued a rebuttal, claiming only United States based users should see the change on their Google Maps while other users will continue to see the Gulf of Mexico or both. President Trump’s decision to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico has evoked negative emotions from the Associated Press (AP), a not-for-profit news organization.
AP views President Trump’s recent actions as an encroachment to freedom and issued a lawsuit on Friday, Feb. 21 against three of Trump’s administrative officials. The AP’s issues lie with the administrative efforts to block free speech, especially because President Trump did not invite certain journalists from press events.
The Trump Administration also claimed that they will continue to obstruct the Associated Press’ access to news conferences and events. President Trump explained that the Associated Press will continue to be banned from press events until they recognize that the Gulf of Mexico is now named the Gulf of America. AP has gained a supporter in their decision to sue the three administration officials.
Newsmax and Fox News are among the nearly 40 organizations that agreed to allow the Associated Press back into presidential events. These organizations have signed a letter fighting against President Trump’s decision. AP continues to battle for their right to cover press events as a long standing attendee since 1846.
Since the Gulf of Mexico has changed to the Gulf of America, there are strong opinions in opposition to President Trump’s decision. The Mexican president continues to argue the importance of the name change and stands by legal action against Google, and the AP continues to push back against the name change.
