Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday poked fun at newly elected President Donald Trump in response to his plan to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America’.
Sheinbaum pointed to a 17th century map that showed an early depiction of North America with the name “Mexican America,” which was once used for the region.
“Mexican America, that sounds fun,” Sheinbaum said.
She made her comments in response to the 78-year-old president-elect during a news conference in Mexico City, a day after Trump announced he wants to change the name of the water.
“We will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring to it,” Trump told reporters in Florida.
‘That covers a large area. The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. It’s appropriate. It’s appropriate,” he insisted.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum shows a 17th century world map showing North America during her press conference in Mexico City on January 8, after Trump said he wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of the Americas”
At her press conference on Wednesday, Sheinbaum was joined by cultural advisor Alfonso Suarez del Real, who took time to explain the backstory behind the name Mexican America.
“The fact is that Mexican America has been recognized as the name for the entire northern part of the continent since the 17th century,” Suarez del Real said.
He added that the Gulf of Mexico’s name was internationally recognized and used as a navigational reference for hundreds of years.
Mexican presidential adviser Alfonso Suarez del Real explains that the Gulf of Mexico was named via a constitutional decree during a press conference in Mexico City after Trump said he wanted to rename the Gulf of America
Trump announced he wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’
Trump added that he wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico (sea on the right) to “Gulf of America.” He added that it was a “beautiful name.”
Sheinbaum’s jab at Trump wasn’t the first time she’s taken on the newly elected president as he prepares to return to power in less than two weeks.
After the president-elect threatened tariffs on Mexico last year, claiming the neighboring country wasn’t doing enough to stem the flow of drugs and immigrants across the southern border, Sheinbaum wrote a fiery letter in response.
In it, she criticized Trump for perhaps not being aware of the actions Mexico has already taken to stem the flow of migrants to the US border.
She also threatened that Mexico would respond with its own tariffs if the US imposed 25 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico.
After Trump announced his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico, Republican lawmakers expressed support for the move.
His far-right ally, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, announced she would introduce a bill in Congress to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico.
While Trump and some Republicans are pushing to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico, other countries don’t have to go along.