During his first term, the United States built or renovated about 725 kilometers of wall; however, Mexico did not pay for it. In U.S. territory, the Gulf of Mexico is commonly referred to as the 'third coast' because its coastline extends across five states in the southeast.
The naming of bodies of water and iconic places is the responsibility of the International Hydrographic Organization, which includes both the United States and Mexico. Although in some cases countries may refer to the same place by different names in their documents, changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico by one country alone is not a unilateral decision.
In his inauguration speech, President Donald Trump announced his intention to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to 'U.S. Gulf' as part of his strategy to highlight the greatness of his nation. Since his presidential campaign in 2016, Trump has had conflicts with Mexico on issues such as border security and tariffs.
Trump's proposal has sparked controversy, as changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, which has carried that designation for over four centuries, is not a new issue. In the past, similar initiatives have been proposed, such as one from a Mississippi legislator in 2012, which was later classified as a joke.
Other disputes over sea names have occurred among countries such as Japan, North Korea, South Korea, and Russia, which have had differences regarding the Sea of Japan. Iran, for its part, threatened to sue Google in 2012 for not labeling a body of water on its maps. These discrepancies reflect the importance of geographical names in international relations.
