Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mocked Donald Trump on Wednesday for his suggestion to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
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During a press conference held in Mexico’s National Palace, Sheinbaum stood in front of a map from 1607 that labeled the United States as “Mexican America” and the gulf as the “Gulf of Mexico”—nearly 170 years before the United States was founded in 1776.
“Why don’t we call it Mexican America? It sounds pretty, no?” Sheinbaum mockingly asked.
Large portions of the United States were originally part of Mexico. At the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1848, the country lost 55% of its territory, which became California, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and most of Colorado and Arizona.
Sheinbaum also accused Trump of living in the past, noting, “I think they told President (elect) Trump wrong, they told him Felipe Calderon is still president.”
Calderon was Mexico’s president from 2006 to 2012.
During his Tuesday press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said, “We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to 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.”
One of Trump’s most loyal supporters, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, said she would be introducing legislation to coincide with Trump’s rhetoric.
“I’ve directed my staff to immediately begin drafting legislation to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. This is important to begin funding the changing of maps for all agencies within the federal government, like the FAA and the military,” she wrote on X.
Even if Greene’s legislation passed, it would still not coerce other nations to follow along—Mexico, for one, has made it clear it won’t be following in Trump’s footsteps.
Trump’s last major clash with Mexico didn’t particularly work out well for him. During his 2016 presidential campaign, he said he would build a U.S.-Mexico border wall, for which Mexico would pay. Not only did Mexico not actually pay for the wall, but it was never even completed.
The friction between Trump and Mexico is just the latest in a series of international flashpoints he’s caused before even being sworn in as president. Trump threatened to use “military action” to seize control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, while also antagonizing Canada. And during his first term, his actions frequently provoked international condemnation.
Looks like he’s already heading down a similar path.
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