US-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-MEXICO-OCEANS-TRUMP

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before signing a proclamation renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America aboard Air Force One, as it flies over the Gulf enroute to New Orleans, Louisiana on Febrary 09, 2025. For years, as disputes over names on the map riled up nationalist passions in several parts of the world, US policymakers have watched warily, trying to stay out or to quietly encourage peace. Suddenly, the United States has gone from a reluctant arbiter to a nomenclature belligerent, as President Donald Trump declared that the Gulf of Mexico will henceforth be called the "Gulf of America." In an executive order signed hours after he returned to the White House, Trump called the water body an "indelible part of America" critical to US oil production and fishing and "a favorite destination for American tourism and recreation activities." (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)