Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has once again criticized Google for complying with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order regarding the Gulf’s name change.
Within his first week of returning to office, Trump signed multiple executive orders, including one aimed at “restoring names that honor American greatness.” As part of this order, the Gulf of Mexico was officially renamed the “Gulf of America.”
Google’s compliance with the change has sparked backlash from Sheinbaum, who addressed the issue at a news conference. Standing before a historical map of North and South America from 1607, she quipped, “The United Nations recognizes the name Gulf of Mexico, but why stop there? Maybe we should rename the U.S. to ‘Mexican America’, it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
In a formal letter to Google, Sheinbaum pushed back against the change, emphasizing that international law restricts any nation from unilaterally renaming maritime areas beyond 12 nautical miles from its shores. “This is what we have clearly explained to Google,” she stated, as reported by USA Today.
Expanding on her joke about renaming the U.S. as “Mexican America,” Sheinbaum reportedly urged Google: “We ask that when you search for ‘Mexican America,’ the map we presented appears.”
However, the Mexican president has now shifted to a more serious stance. During a press conference on February 17, she announced that Mexico’s administration “will proceed to court” if Google does not amend the “Gulf of America” label to apply only to the portion of water under U.S. jurisdiction, approximately 22 nautical miles, rather than the entire gulf. Her statement, as quoted by KGOU and reported by Business Insider, underscores Mexico’s firm opposition to the name change.
A letter from Mexico’s administration to Google states: “Any reference to the ‘Gulf of America’ initiative on your Google Maps platform must be exclusively limited to the marine area under U.S. jurisdiction.
“Any extension beyond that zone exceeds the authority of any national government or private entity. Should that be the case, the Government of Mexico will take the appropriate legal actions as deemed necessary.”
Trump’s executive order proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the ‘Gulf of America,’ describing the region as “an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation” and “a crucial artery for America’s early trade and global commerce.”
Highlighting its “remarkable body of water,” rich “natural resources and wildlife,” and its ongoing significance in “shaping America’s future and the global economy,” Trump declared that the Gulf would be “officially renamed” the Gulf of America.
Google confirmed it would comply with Trump’s order, though the displayed name varies based on location. According to the company, “Maps users see their official local name,” while “everyone in the rest of the world sees both names.”
