President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would change the Gulf of Mexico's name to the Gulf of America, but the idea is not a new one.
More than a decade ago, a Democrat floated the idea as part of a rebuke of anti-immigrant legislation proposed in Mississippi.
Why It Matters
Trump's latest foreign policy announcement comes after he announced intentions to buy Greenland, make Canada the 51st state, and retake control of the Panama Canal in recent weeks, all of which have received criticism and praise.
The president-elect's plan appeared genuine, but the previous proposal by Democratic Mississippi state Representative Steve Holland in 2012 was seen as a reflection of his sense of humor.
What To Know
Trump made the announcement during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday, saying that the U.S. was doing "most of the work there" and the Gulf was "ours."
"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring to it," he told reporters. "That covers a lot of territory."
Trump then referred to his displeasure with Mexico, which he sees as having failed to stop illegal immigration into the U.S. in recent years, over the southwest border.
Immigration was an issue linked to the 2012 proposal from Holland, who introduced a bill aimed at renaming the Gulf of Mexico in retaliation against his Republican colleagues' efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.
The Democrat explained at the time that the GOP appeared to want to push anything Mexican out of the state, so renaming the body of water would help with that cause. He later clarified that it was satirical.
"This new majority goes against a lot of the tenets of New Testament Christianity that I've based 29 years of legislation on," Holland told NPR at the time. "They want to kick immigrants out of the state, they want to take them off this, they want to drug test Medicaid people. They want to get rid of anything that's not 'America.'
"So I just thought it would be in keeping to introduce a bill to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. It fits right in with what the majority thinking apparently is now."
Holland said he loves Hispanics but that he was trying to get into the swing of what perhaps Mississippians wanted.
The bill died at the committee stage just a month after its introduction.
What People Are Saying
Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, on X: "President Trump's second term is off to a GREAT start. I'll be introducing legislation ASAP to officially change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to its rightful name, the Gulf of America!"
Army Veteran Jared Ryan Sears, on X, formerly Twitter: "So instead of tackling prices, the border, energy, foreign wars, or any other issues you claimed were so critical and would be tackled on day one during the campaign, you're going to waste time on pointless legislation that helps no one."
What's Happens Next
Trump promised the move would happen "very soon", while Greene said she would push for legislation in the House.
It is unclear how successful such a move would be, with the Gulf of Mexico having its name for centuries and approval required from the United Nations.
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