On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
This order was followed by the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, making an announcement that the Mexican government will be suing Google over changing the name on Google Maps.
The Mexican Government claims that the name change is “incorrect” and that Trump’s decree only applies to his continental shelf, which is only 22 miles off the coast, not the entire gulf.
The Mexican government is suing Google for allegedly creating a digital monopoly in digital advertising in the country. Despite the fact that there is no public proof that Google has been gaining revenue from this change, this lawsuit can still end up in one of the largest fines ever imposed by Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE)
Claudia Sheinbaum said that Google should follow the orders of the decree. However, she argues that the land solely under Trump’s jurisdiction and ownership should be named the Gulf of America.
Initially, Sheinbaum claimed that the Mexican government was going to bring Google to court for “inaccurate designation” of the Gulf. The Mexican president’s demands changed as Google attempted to give a resolution – this proposal would have the Gulf be labeled as “Gulf of America” when using maps under American jurisdiction, and it would be labeled as “Gulf of Mexico” under Mexican jurisdiction.
As for the rest of the world, it would be labeled as both.
Google’s proposal was quickly discarded by the Mexican government, and Sheinbaum came out and said that “any references to the ‘Gulf of America’ initiative on your Google platforms must be strictly limited to the marine area under U.S. jurisdiction.” And that “Any extension beyond that zone exceeds the authority of any national government or entity.”
Along with this, Sheinbaum confirmed that the Mexican government will not take any legal action until it gets a response from Google.
Mexico’s foreign relations ministry had previously sent letters to Google requesting it not to label Mexican territory as the Gulf of America.
Cris Turner, the vice president of Google, responded to this letter and stated that Google will not change its policy after Trump made his decree. Turner claimed that by doing this, he was “following longstanding maps policies.”
Despite the fact that the Gulf of America/Mexico has shorelines under both Mexican and American jurisdiction, Trump has pushed other countries to accept the title of Gulf of America; he has not made any public comment on the lawsuit between the Mexican government and Google.
Since this decree was passed, people and companies have started to use the name the Gulf of America, and not just in the United States. In America, lawmakers in most Republican states and non-profits that rely on government funding have begun to use the name a lot more.
There are also people who have pushed back against the name change, as media outlets like Axios, Fox News, and Courthouse News are still using the label Gulf of Mexico.
Trump is strongly encouraging News Outlets to use the “new and proper name” of the Gulf; however, there currently isn’t any punishment for anyone who mislabels the Gulf.