Donald Trump, the incoming 47th President of the United States, is expected to issue executive orders in his first days in office that would rename the Gulf of Mexico and Denali, North America’s highest peak, according to reports. The President-elect revealed these plans during a media session at Mar-A-Lago earlier this month.
Gulf of Mexico is ‘Ours’
ABC7 News reported that Trump intends to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and restore Denali to its original name, Mount McKinley. Additional executive orders are expected to focus on reshaping U.S. immigration policies, halting asylum access, deploying troops to the southern border, and ending birthright citizenship.
During his Mar-A-Lago press conference, Trump explained his reasoning for renaming the Gulf of Mexico, pointing to its association with cartel activity and emphasizing that “it’s ours.” The Gulf, which borders five states—Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida—is a key area for offshore oil production.
He stated, “We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate. It’s appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country.”
Denali Honored the Indigenous Koyukon Athabaskans
The renaming of Denali, formerly Mount McKinley, follows the decision made by former U.S. President Barack Obama, who rebranded the mountain to honor the indigenous Koyukon Athabaskans’ name for the peak.
Trump, however, expressed admiration for McKinley, stating during a rally in Arizona, “McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president. They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people. Now, he was a great president, very good president. At a minimum, he was a very good businessman. He was a businessman, then a governor, very successful businessman.”
According to a preview of the executive order, the renaming is intended to recognize “American greatness.” The draft reads, “President McKinley is honored for giving his life for our great Nation and dutifully recognized for his historic legacy of protecting America’s interests and generating enormous wealth for our Nation.”
