BREAKING: Trump says that he wanted to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of Trump" instead of the Gulf of America. Ser [View all]

[riversedge]

Trump has 3 years from today to rename it in his name. I say he does!!!


BREAKING: Trump says that he wanted to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of Trump” instead of the Gulf of America. Seriously.

Link to tweet

President Donald Trump Renaming the Gulf of Mexico
Fact Check Analysis: Can Trump Rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America?



https://dbunk.com/fact-check-analysis-trump-renaming-gulf-of-mexico-to-gulf-of-america-heres-what-he-can-and-cant-do/



Submitted by one of our DBUNK subscribers, this article’s claims about former President Donald Trump attempting to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” sparked widespread confusion. Here’s our detailed look into what’s true, what’s misleading, and what context was omitted.

The Claims vs. The Facts

The article, published by Forbes, reports that former President Donald Trump, on his first day in office in 2025, signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America on U.S. federal documents. While the information provided in the article reflects the executive order correctly, several key areas reveal misinformation, missing context, and bias that must be highlighted for readers to understand the full picture.


Let’s address the primary question posed by DBUNK’s users: Can Trump actually rename the Gulf of Mexico? The short answer is no, not entirely—and here’s why:


Claim 1: The Gulf of Mexico Can Be Officially Renamed via Federal Action

The article suggests that Trump has effectively renamed the Gulf through his executive order. However, this claim lacks clarity and is misleading. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and international maritime norms, the name of an international body of water is not determined unilaterally by one country. While the U.S. has the authority to change the name in its internal Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and apply that change to federal maps and documents, the renaming does not apply internationally. Other countries, such as Mexico, are under no obligation to recognize or use the new name. The article acknowledges this point later, but it is tucked away beneath less relevant details, leaving readers potentially misled early on.
Claim 2: Trump’s Order Sets a Precedent for Changing International Names

The piece asserts that this action could influence global acknowledgment, but the article omits a crucial fact: historical precedent shows otherwise. Similar disputes, such as the disagreement between South Korea and Japan over the East Sea/Sea of Japan and the contested names of the South China Sea, demonstrate that without mutual agreement, global recognition of a name change is nearly impossible. Furthermore, unilateral name ..........................


Who Owns the Gulf of Mexico?

The claim that Trump declared it as “our Gulf,” suggesting it is owned by the United States, is **highly misleading.** The Gulf of Mexico spans multiple nations, including Mexico and Cuba, and international waters beyond the U.S.’s 12-mile territorial zone are governed by international law. The article does clarify this point later, but once again, missing early context leaves the initial claim vulnerable to misinterpretation........................