**Trump’s Provocation on ‘Gulf of America vs. Gulf of Mexico’**
– Mexican President Responds with North American History
**Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum held a press conference on the 8th (local time) where she displayed a historical map of North America. She countered President-elect Donald Trump’s mention of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America’.**
Mexican President Sheinbaum suggested humorously, “How about changing the name of North America to Mexican America?” referring to a 17th-century map showing most of the US labeled as ‘AMERICA MEXICANA’, which serves as historical evidence of the area’s naming practices since 1607.
She emphasized that the name “Gulf of Mexico” is recognized by the UN, has existed since the 17th century, and was internationally used before the United States was formed.
This comes as a response to Trump’s prior remarks about renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The Associated Press noted that while the Gulf borders the southeastern US and is sometimes considered the third coast, similar instances exist where the US and Mexico use different names for shared geographical features, like the Rio Grande, known as the Rio Bravo in Mexico.
The AP highlighted that even if the Trump administration decided to officially call it the ‘Gulf of America’ domestically, international entities would maintain naming consistency.
President Sheinbaum also reacted to Trump’s characterizations of Mexico being controlled by drug cartels, suggesting Trump mistakenly believes Felipe Calderón is still the president. She emphasized Mexico’s sovereignty and noted that drug-related violence increased during Calderón’s term (2006-2012) without notable success, as his administration faced corruption, leading to severe legal consequences in the US for some officials.