Trump plans to rename Gulf of Mexico, Mount Denali — but can he?

(NEXSTAR) — President Donald Trump is set to hit the ground running as he takes office for the second time on Monday. In addition to declaring a national energy emergency and issuing executive orders regarding the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump appears set to enact another change he has teased: renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

Earlier this month, Trump told reporters he wants it to be known as the Gulf of America, calling it "a beautiful name" and "appropriate."

It quickly drew pushback from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, who suggested North America be labeled as “América Mexicana” or “Mexican America.” That didn't stop Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) from quickly introducing a bill to rename the gulf.

Ahead of Trump's inauguration Monday, his incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, shared on X that Trump will rename not only the Gulf of Mexico but Mount Denali as part of his initial executive orders.

The post included a link to the New York Post, which reports it has learned that Trump will call for the Gulf of Mexico to become the Gulf of America. Mount Denali will return to Mount McKinley — President Barack Obama changed the name of the continent's highest mountain in 2015.

FILE - A tour bus kicks up dust during a sunny day at Denali National Park in Alaska as Mount Denali appears in the background on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013. Road access in the popular national park in Interior Alaska is being restricted due to a long-running landslide issue that has been exacerbated by climate change, the park announced Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes, File)

Citing a preview of the executive orders, the Post reports the move is to honor "American greatness" and would require the secretary of the interior to change the names. In federal communications and official maps, the locations would be referred to as the Gulf of America and Mount McKinley.

Mount McKinley was named for Republican president William McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901. Trump had previously expressed admiration for McKinley, calling him a "very successful businessman" and a "very good president" during a December 2024 rally.

Following Obama's renaming of the mountain in 2015 — a move done to recognize "the sacred status of Denali to generations of Alaska Natives" — Trump criticized the decision. He then vowed to change it back to McKinley during his first term in office. Members of Congress representing Alaska long resisted Denali becoming McKinley again.

Does Trump have the power to rename both sites, though?

While he could take the same path Obama did to rename Denali after McKinley — technically, his Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, used her authority to rename the mountain — it's unclear exactly if that's what Trump's executive order calls for.

Because Denali is within the U.S. boundaries, it could be a relatively simple process. Renaming the Gulf of Mexico could be more complicated.

378913 01: Pennzenergy Company Oil Exploration Drilling Rig In The Gulf Of Mexico During Sunset. (Photo By Getty Images)

It would not be a unilateral decision and other countries would not have to refer to it the same way.

The International Hydrographic Organization — of which both the United States and Mexico are members — works to ensure all the world’s seas, oceans, and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them. There are instances where countries refer to the same body of water or landmark by different names in their own documentation.

John Nyberg, the director of the International Hydrographic Organization, told The New York Times that there is "no formal international agreement or protocol in place for naming maritime areas."

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the nation's geographic naming authority, explains that name changes for natural features are considered only for "a compelling reason."

"Generally, the most important policy regarding names is local use and acceptance," it explains.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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