In a move that has Democrats fuming and the media frothing, the Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation to officially rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, delivering on one of President Donald Trump’s more audacious campaign promises.
Dubbed the “Gulf of America Act,” the bill—sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)—passed in a tight 211-206 vote, with virtually all Republicans in support. Only one GOP lawmaker, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), crossed the aisle, calling the legislation “sophomoric.” But to supporters, the bill is far from symbolic. It’s a declaration—a reassertion of sovereignty, pride, and the bold, unapologetic nationalism that has come to define the Trump movement.
“This is the first step to codify into law one of President Trump’s favorite executive orders,” Greene announced, touting the bill as a tribute to “the entrepreneurs supporting the Gulf’s economy and the service men and women who protect its waters.”
The bill mandates that all U.S. federal agencies, maps, and documents begin referring to the region as the Gulf of America, with a 180-day window for implementation. The process is to be overseen by the Secretary of the Interior via the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, although much of the groundwork was laid during Trump’s first weeks of his second term.
Indeed, Trump had already begun the renaming push in dramatic fashion. On the day of his second inauguration, he signed an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to take “all appropriate actions” to rename the U.S. continental shelf portion of the Gulf. Weeks later, while en route to the Super Bowl aboard Air Force One, Trump signed a proclamation designating February 9 as Gulf of America Day, posting a video with the sweeping vista beneath him and declaring, “Even bigger than the Super Bowl, this is a big thing.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum followed up with a post of his own, celebrating the change alongside a newly updated U.S. Geological Survey map proudly bearing the name Gulf of America. “Another big win for President Trump’s agenda to Make America Great Again,” he said.
But not everyone is celebrating. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the bill as “small-minded, silly, and sycophantic,” adding a jab at Greene: “America is not down with MTG.” Democrats have roundly mocked the move as petty political theater, but Greene didn’t shy away from the fight. “Democrats are throwing a fit over renaming the Gulf of America, but why?” she posted on X. “Because they’d rather honor a foreign country run by drug cartels than stand up for the American people.”
The renaming effort is the latest flashpoint in a broader struggle over national identity, borders, and America’s role on the world stage. For Trump and his supporters, it’s about more than geography—it’s about reclaiming language, reasserting pride, and refusing to defer to the sensibilities of global elites.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum tried to shrug it off, telling the press, “For us it is still the Gulf of Mexico and for the entire world it is still the Gulf of Mexico.” But with federal agencies already implementing the change and Trump making it a central theme in speeches and media appearances, that may no longer be the case—at least on U.S. soil.
