Trump isn't joking when he speaks of putting America first.
Reports have surfaced the President-elect plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico after he takes office on January 20. The new name — Congress is already preparing legislation — will be "Gulf of America."
"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America," said Trump in a press conference on Tuesday.
"Which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America, what a beautiful name. And it's appropriate."
The move could be seen as an affront to Mexican sovereignty and cultural identity, potentially damaging U.S.-Mexico relations, say analysts — Mexico has a significant historical and cultural connection to the gulf.
In the U.S., changing the name would require the passing of legislation. While Trump could direct agencies to use the new name in U.S. documents, international acceptance would be beyond his control without broader consensus, say pundits.
No one can accuse Trump of being lazy or boring. He has made numerous bombastic statements since winning the U.S. presidential election. Some of them are no joke.
He said he would like to buy Greenland. He said Canada should become the fifty-first U.S. state. He has proposed "an end to transgender madness."
