On First Day, Trump to Rename Gulf of Mexico 'Gulf of America' and Denali 'Mount McKinley'

Jan 20, 2025, 03:26 PM

President-elect Donald Trump plans to sign executive orders on his first day in office to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" and to revert Alaska's Mount Denali back to its previous name, Mount McKinley. Trump described the new name as having a "beautiful ring," stating, "That covers a lot of territory—the Gulf of America, what a beautiful name." Mount Denali, North America's highest peak, was renamed from Mount McKinley in 2015 by President Barack Obama; Trump's order will undo that change. Trump's spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed the planned executive actions. While the Board of Geographic Names typically has jurisdiction over geographic names, presidents have the authority to rename regions and features via executive orders.