The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has clarified that the Gulf of Mexico will retain its current name "for the whole world,” despite the intention of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to change it to 'Gulf of America' in official documents of his country. In a morning conference, Sheinbaum pointed out that although the United States may refer to the gulf differently on their continental shelf, for Mexico and the rest of the world it will remain the Gulf of Mexico.
"Regarding the Gulf of Mexico, beyond anything else, it is established for their continental shelf; for us, it remains the Gulf of Mexico and for the whole world, it continues to be,” emphasized the Mexican leader. Trump had expressed the intention to change the name during his inauguration, arguing that Mexico is controlled by drug cartels and is an unsafe place.
For her part, the Mexican leader downplayed this executive order from Trump and clarified that the name change would not be valid internationally. Although the state of Florida, governed by Ron DeSantis, has adopted the name 'Gulf of America' in a weather alert, Sheinbaum reaffirmed that the rest of the world will continue to refer to the gulf as the Gulf of Mexico.
On the other hand, the possibility of changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico would require the agreement of other nations, as the International Hydrographic Organization, to which both the United States and Mexico belong, is responsible for naming seas and oceans worldwide. Despite Trump's intentions, any official modification would require international consensus to be recognized.
