What is Gulf of America Day? What we know amid Trump proclamation renaming Gulf of Mexico

President Donald Trump has officially declared February 9, 2025, as 'Gulf of America Day' to mark the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. He signed the proclamation while traveling on Air Force One to the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Here is an excerpt from the proclamation, available on the official White House website:

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 9, 2025, as Gulf of America Day. I call upon public officials and all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities."

This renaming is part of Executive Order 14172, titled Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness, which Trump signed on January 20, 2025. The order instructed the Secretary of the Interior to officially change the name within 30 days, highlighting the gulf’s importance to the U.S. economy and trade.

Trump’s proclamation calls on government officials and citizens to celebrate Gulf of America Day through events and activities, although no specific plans were outlined. The name change has sparked mixed reactions, with some supporting it as a patriotic move, while others criticize it as unnecessary, and question how it would be recognized internationally.

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Does Trump have the power to rename it to the Gulf of America?

President Donald Trump does not have the unilateral power to officially rename the Gulf of Mexico on a global scale. While he can issue executive orders directing federal agencies to refer to it as the Gulf of America in U.S. government documents, other countries and international organizations are not obligated to recognize the change. According to a report in The Standard:

Mr Trump’s comments have ignited questions about whether a president can rename an international body of water. While a name change is theoretically possible, such a decision cannot be made unilaterally, and other nations are not obligated to recognise it.

The Gulf of Mexico has carried its name for over 400 years, originating not from the modern country of Mexico but from an Indigenous city with the same name. The body of water is shared by multiple nations, including Mexico and Cuba.

Under international law, the U.S. controls a portion of the gulf, including territorial waters extending 12 nautical miles from its shores and parts of the Outer Continental Shelf, The Standard reports. However, the entire gulf is not U.S. property, making a complete renaming internationally unlikely.

If Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has any concerns about Trump’s push to rename the gulf, she hasn’t expressed them publicly so far. However, she has addressed his threats to impose tariffs, reminding him that cartel violence and the resulting instability in Mexico are largely driven by U.S. demand for illegal drugs and the smuggling of American-made weapons into the country, reported The Independent.