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Why Does Donald Trump Want To Change The Gulf Of Mexico’s Name? The 'Gulf Of America' Debate And Memes Explained
United States President-elect Donald Trump is filled with ideas to expand the country’s territory, such as when he expressed interest in purchasing Greenland and when he made a jab at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pitching an unusual offer to the neighboring country for Canada to merge with the U.S. as its 51st state. This week, he also floated the idea of changing the Gulf of Mexico’s name to the "Gulf of America."
GULF OF AMERICA!!! pic.twitter.com/Yn5K8Jh7p0
— Brandie with a 🐝 (@BrandieWithABee) January 7, 2025
This bold suggestion quickly spread across social media and international news, generating a mix of confusion, humor and debate. But how did it start and how did it become a prevalent subject of memes this week?
Let's explain the origins of this intriguing discussion and the best memes about the "Gulf of America."
Why Does Donald Trump Want To Change the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America?
On January 7th, 2025, during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."
He justified this change by saying it would better represent the United States. His comments rapidly caught the media's and internet's attention as he remarked, "We're going to be changing the name … which has a beautiful ring."
How Did The Internet React To Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ Suggestion?
The internet's reaction to Trump's suggestion was immediate and spared no time to whip up jokes about his suggestion, similar to many other eyebrow-raising comments he's made in the past.
As his statement spread, some users expressed their disbelief and mocked the proposal, like X user @ProseccoLiquido, who shared an ironic map with the caption "Gulf of Dumbfuckistan is better."
The statement also reached Mexican audiences, with TikTok users like @carlos_eduardo_espina humorously commenting on Trump's proposal.
@carlos_eduardo_espina Quiere cambiar el nombre del Golfo de México al Golfo de America 🤦♂️
What Are Some Other Gulf of America Memes?
For the full history of Gulf of America, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
