Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called out President-elect Trump over his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico. She even had a name suggestion for the U.S.
“Mexican America. That sounds nice,” Sheinbaum joked during a press conference in Mexico City on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Sheinbaum pointed to a map from 1607 as evidence. Former culture minister Jose Alfonso Suarez del Real joined her to discuss the historical context.
“The fact is that Mexican America is recognized since the 17th century … as the name for the whole northern part of the (American) continent,” Suarez del Real explained, showing the map.
The remarks came after Trump’s own press conference on Tuesday. He unveiled plans for his second administration, including renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
“We have a massive deficit with Mexico, and we help Mexico a lot. They’re essentially run by the cartels, and can’t let that happen, because Mexico is really in trouble, a lot of trouble. Very dangerous place,” Trump said.
He went on to describe his renaming idea. “We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory,” he said. “The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate.”
The Gulf of Mexico borders several U.S. states, Mexico, and Cuba. Trump didn’t explain how or when he’d implement the name change but quickly pivoted to immigration issues.
“Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. They can stop them, and we’re going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada, because Canada, they come through Canada too. And the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers,” Trump declared.
Sheinbaum dismissed Trump’s claim that Mexico is “run by cartels.” She firmly stated that the “people are in charge” of the nation.
Despite the criticism, Sheinbaum expressed optimism. “I think there will be a good relationship,” she said. “President Trump has his way of communicating.”