This follows an executive order Trump signed on his inauguration day, calling for the name change.
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Sunday declaring Feb. 9 as “the first-ever Gulf of America Day,” following his executive order on Jan. 20 to rename the ocean basin previously known as the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump signed the proclamation while flying over the newly renamed gulf aboard Air Force One during his trip to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl.
“Today, I am making my first visit to the Gulf of America since its renaming,” the president stated in his proclamation. “As my Administration restores American pride in the history of American greatness, it is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America.”
In his proclamation, the president called on “public officials and all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.”
Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum celebrated the name change on the social media platform X, saying that his department has taken actions to implement Trump’s executive order.
“It’s official! Congratulations @POTUS on the Gulf of America!” Burgum stated. “Another big win for President Trump’s agenda to Make America Great Again.”
Trump signed an executive order on his inauguration day on Jan. 20, in which he directed the Department of Interior to “take all appropriate actions” to rename the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America” and change the name of Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, to “Mount McKinley” in honor of the 25th U.S. president, William McKinley.
The U.S. Coast Guard began referring to the waterway as the Gulf of America just a day after the executive order was issued, pledging to increase its presence in several areas, including “the maritime border between Texas and Mexico in the Gulf of America,” as part of efforts to combat illegal migration and drug smuggling into the United States.
