Well, well, well—look who’s finally catching up. After years of playing politics with place names, Google Maps is now set to reflect President Trump’s changes, reinstating Mount McKinley and labeling the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America—because, let’s be honest, why should Mexico get all the credit for a body of water that touches Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida?
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump announces he will be renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America
“It’s ours, and Gulf of America has a great ring to it.” 🇺🇸
America’s so freaking back. pic.twitter.com/Um9G474mBI
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) January 7, 2025
Google, in its usual bureaucratic fashion, says it’s just following official government updates. “We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” the company posted on X. Translation: We’ll make the change once we absolutely have to, but don’t expect us to be happy about it.
The move comes after President Trump wasted no time on his first day back in office, directing the Department of the Interior to restore the names Mount McKinley and Gulf of America—decisions that quickly sent the left into one of their usual fits. Because apparently, naming a mountain after a U.S. president instead of using an indigenous name is an unforgivable sin, even though Denali had already been a long-standing point of contention.
Let’s not forget how we got here. Back in 2015, President Obama decided that he, and he alone, would rename Mount McKinley to Denali, claiming he was simply respecting an old Alaskan request. Of course, this was the same administration that spent eight years apologizing for America and bending over backward to appease the left’s obsession with “decolonization.” It wasn’t about Alaska; it was about making a point.
Fast forward to today, and Trump’s reversal of the change is, predictably, setting off the usual suspects. The same people who lecture about democracy and respecting tradition are now clutching their pearls over the idea that a U.S. landmark should once again honor an actual U.S. president. As for the Gulf of America, well, expect a whole lot of hand-wringing from the crowd that thinks national pride is a bad thing.
When you realize that we’re prohibited from drilling oil in the Gulf of Mexico but not in the Gulf of America pic.twitter.com/a6ZEjU19eF
— Elon’s Musk (@andItoldyaso) January 20, 2025
Of course, Google had no problem rushing to adopt Obama’s changes in 2015. Funny how the “official government sources” excuse only seems to slow things down when Republicans are in charge. But hey, at least they’re following through—eventually.
Biden suspended oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, so Trump changed the name to the Gulf of America.
And this is how you play chess, folks. pic.twitter.com/xJjodJoz4g
— Mila Joy (@MilaLovesJoe) January 21, 2025
The renaming is a small but meaningful reminder that words matter. America shouldn’t be afraid to name its landmarks after its own history. And if the left really can’t handle a mountain named after a U.S. president, they might need to get outside and touch some grass—preferably at the base of Mount McKinley.