Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong has posted a photo in response to the renaming of Gulf of America, calling it Gulf of American Idiot.
In a move stirring both national and international discourse, President Donald Trump has officially renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” through Executive Order 14172, titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” signed on January 20, 2025. This directive mandates all federal agencies to adopt the new designation in official communications and publications.
Major corporations, including BP, Chevron, Shell, Google, Microsoft, and Apple, have aligned with the administration’s directive, updating their communications and maps to reflect the “Gulf of America” nomenclature. Google Maps, for instance, now displays “Gulf of America” for users within the United States, while retaining “Gulf of Mexico” for users in Mexico, and showing both names elsewhere.
The renaming has ignited significant controversy. A recent poll indicates that a majority of Americans oppose the change. Internationally, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has dismissed the move, affirming that Mexico and the global community will continue to recognize the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico.
The Associated Press (AP) has chosen to retain the traditional name in its reporting, leading to tensions with the White House. An AP journalist was barred from a recent Oval Office event due to the agency’s refusal to adopt the “Gulf of America” terminology, a move the AP decried as a violation of press freedom.
This renaming initiative is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to emphasize American heritage, including reverting Alaska’s Denali back to its former name, Mount McKinley. While these changes are binding for federal entities, their acceptance and implementation by the international community and private organizations remain varied and contentious.
