Donald Trump joked during a White House press conference marking the first anniversary of his second term that he had once thought about renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Trump but ultimately decided not to.
U.S. President Donald Trump stirred controversy again by joking during a White House briefing that he had considered renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of Trump but might be killed if he did so. He added that he really wanted to do it because his team worked hard but was warned it might be inappropriate. Nevertheless, he teased that "Gulf of Trump" sounded fitting and maybe he still could do it—it’s not too late yet.
These remarks came amid ongoing tensions between the White House and the Associated Press (AP), which began in February 2025 when the White House started restricting AP's access to limited-space events such as press briefings in the Oval Office or trips aboard Air Force One.
A key reason was that the AP Stylebook, a globally influential guide for language and journalism, advised reporters to continue using the name "Gulf of Mexico" and noted that Trump wanted to rename it "Gulf of America," though this was not an official name, to avoid confusing readers.
AP stated that being excluded from the White House press pool was a government punishment because they refused to use the president’s preferred terminology in all cases. Being removed from the press pool prevented AP reporters from accessing important events not open to the entire media.
Subsequently, AP filed a lawsuit against President Trump, arguing that the government violated First Amendment free speech protections.
In April, a district court ruled in favor of AP, stating the government cannot punish media organizations for their content. However, in June, the federal appeals court issued a temporary stay of that ruling, so the legal dispute continues.
:sourceAssociated Press (AP)
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