Executive Order 14172, titled "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness", is an executive order signed by Donald Trump, the 47th President of the United States, on January 20, 2025,[1] the day of his second inauguration.

Executive Order 14172
"Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness"
Seal of the President of the United States
TypeExecutive order
Number14172
PresidentDonald Trump
SignedJanuary 20, 2025
Federal Register details
Federal Register
document number
2025-02096 Edit this on Wikidata
Publication dateJanuary 31, 2025 Edit this on Wikidata
Summary
The executive order aims to rename national landmarks, including reinstating "Mount McKinley" and renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America".

The executive order directs the reinstatement of the name "Mount McKinley" to the highest peak in North America, reversing the 2015 decision to call it by its centuries-old name Denali, and claims to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America".[2][3] The order further outlines the process for updating the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, promotes the honoring of American historical figures, and includes provisions for consulting with relevant stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of national heritage and patriotism in the naming and renaming of landmarks.

Background

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Denali versus Mount McKinley

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In August 2015, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced that the name of the tallest mountain in North America would officially be reverted from Mount McKinley to Denali, meaning "the high one" in the Koyukon language and used by Indigenous peoples for centuries, in all federal documents.[4][5] While on an Alaskan visit in the first week of September 2015, President Barack Obama announced the renaming of the mountain.[6] The Obama administration's proposal was met with criticism from the entire US Congressional delegation from Ohio (President McKinley's home state).[7]

In December 2024, President-elect Donald Trump stated that he planned to revert the mountain's official name to Mount McKinley during his second term. Trump's proposal was met with criticism from many prominent Alaskans.[8][9] Early the next month, a poll by Alaska Survey Research found that, among 1,816 adult Alaska residents, 54% opposed renaming Denali to Mount McKinley, 26% supported it, and 20% had no opinion on the matter, with a margin of error of 2.3%. The poll found a partisan split, with those who had voted for Trump favoring Mount McKinley by 43% to 37% and those who had voted for Vice President Kamala Harris favoring Denali by 86% to 7%.[10]

Gulf of Mexico versus Gulf of America

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For centuries, the Gulf of Mexico has been named after the Mexica. In early January 2025, President-elect Donald Trump made public statements about renaming the gulf to "Gulf of America". Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia responded by introducing House Resolution 276 to rename the gulf.[11][12] Between January 15 and 16, The Harris Poll and HarrisX conducted an online poll of 2,650 U.S. registered voters, finding that 28% of respondents supported adopting the name "Gulf of America" while 72% opposed changing the name.[13][14]

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Gulf of America referred to Nakhodka Bay in the Russian Far East, commemorating the Russian corvette America.[15] Prior to 2011, the United States Board on Geographic Names had received repeated complaints from one individual petitioning to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.[16] The name Gulf of America had also been used ironically, by comedian Stephen Colbert in 2010 as well as in a satirical 2012 bill by Mississippi lawmaker Steve Holland.[17]

Provisions

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Agency heads are directed to review and potentially replace their appointees to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (Board). The Secretary of the Interior is tasked with reviewing and making additional appointments to help implement the order. An appointment as acting secretary was made on January 20 by the incoming president on inaugural day. The Board is instructed to advance the policy of honoring "American heroes" in its naming and renaming decisions.[1]

The order directs the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate the name "Mount McKinley" within 30 days, reversing the 2015 decision to rename it Denali. The surrounding national park area will retain the name Denali National Park and Preserve. The Secretary will also work with Alaska Native groups and local organizations to identify other landmark names that honor Alaskan history and culture.[1]

The order directs the Secretary of the Interior to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" within 30 days, reflecting its importance to the U.S. economy and global commerce according to President Trump. The Secretary will update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and ensure that all federal documents reflect the new name.[1]

The Secretary of the Interior is encouraged to seek public and intergovernmental input regarding other figures or landmarks that could be honored, particularly in light of America's upcoming 250th anniversary.[1]

The order clarifies that it does not alter the authority of any executive department or agency, nor does it create new legal rights. It must be implemented in accordance with applicable law and the availability of appropriations.[1]

Implementation

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On January 24, 2025, the Department of the Interior announced that the names Mount McKinley and Gulf of America are effective immediately for federal use, and that the Board on Geographic Names is working to update the Geographic Names Information System to reflect the order.[18] On February 7, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued Secretary's Order 3423, directing the Board on Geographic Names to update GNIS to reflect the name change.[19] This change took place on February 10, retroactively to January 20.[20][21] Within the Board on Geographic Names, the Foreign Names Committee is responsible for maintaining the names of international waters such as the Gulf in the GEOnet Names Server.[22][23] GNS was also updated to give "Gulf of America" as the conventional name, relegating "Gulf of Mexico" to a variant name alongside Spanish names.[24] The board rejected several proposals to revert Mount McKinley back to Denali, because overriding an executive order would require Congressional intervention.[25]

On February 9, 2025, President Trump signed a proclamation designating the day as "Gulf of America Day" while flying over the Gulf of Mexico on Air Force One from Palm Beach, Florida, to New Orleans to attend Super Bowl LIX.[26]

Reactions

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Alaska officials opposed the order to rename Denali to Mount McKinley. On February 7, 2025, the Alaska State Legislature passed a joint resolution urging the federal government to retain Denali as the mountain's official name. The Alaska State Senate voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.[27][28] On February 13, 2025, Alaska's U.S. Senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, co-sponsored legislation to officially redesignate the mountain as Denali.[29] Former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, whose order designating the mountain as Denali was rescinded, stated that she did not believe that Trump had the authority to change the name of the mountain, since it was under the authority of the Board on Geographic Names.[30]

President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said that her country and the rest of the world would continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its longstanding name.[31] She had previously mocked the idea of renaming the gulf by suggesting that North America be renamed to "Mexican America" (Spanish: América Mexicana), citing the Constitution of Apatzingán.[32][33] In Poland, the Commission on Standardization of Geographical Names Outside the Republic of Poland (Polish: Komisja Standaryzacji Nazw Geograficznych poza Granicami Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) ruled that the name of the gulf in Polish would remain Zatoka Meksykańska (literally "Mexican Gulf").[34]

Officials in several Republican-led states moved to align state usage with the executive order. In Alabama, State Representative David Standridge introduced legislation that would require all state and local government agencies, including schools and parks, to adopt "Gulf of America" in publications and communications and phase out use of "Gulf of Mexico".[35] In Arkansas, State Representative Aaron Pilkington introduced a similar resolution, but it died in committee.[36] A bill before the Florida House of Representatives would replace every occurrence of "Gulf of Mexico" in state law with "Gulf of America".[35] In Texas, State Representative Briscoe Cain introduced a bill and joint resolution to change the name for state purposes, which would require an amendment to the Constitution of Texas.[37] Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced plans to adopt "Gulf of America" in state publications.[38]

On January 23, 2025, the Associated Press (AP) announced that its wire reports would continue to refer to Gulf of Mexico while acknowledging Gulf of America, but that they would begin referring to Mount McKinley instead of Denali. Maps and other graphics accompanying the reports would continue to label Gulf of Mexico for the time being. The AP Stylebook also permits Gulf and Gulf Coast.[39][40][41] On February 11, 2025, the White House barred the AP from attending the signing of an executive order in the Oval Office in response to the style guidance, which executive editor Julie Pace condemned as a violation of its First Amendment rights.[42][43]

Some major American map services voluntarily relabeled the gulf. Google added the United States and Mexico to an internal list of "sensitive" countries that require special consideration on maps, alongside China, Russia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and others.[44] On January 27, 2025, the company announced that Google Maps would begin showing Mount McKinley as soon as GNIS is updated. Gulf of America would appear to users in the U.S., Gulf of Mexico to users in Mexico, and both to users elsewhere, apparently based on the internet connection location.[45] President Sheinbaum asked Google to reconsider their decision, arguing that the U.S. government can only legally rename the U.S. territorial sea within the gulf.[46] Google began rolling out the change on February 10, 2025, once GNIS was updated.[47] Apple Maps and Bing Maps followed suit the following day.[48][49] Internet users opposed to the renaming reacted by review bombing Google Maps on the App Store and the gulf's entry in Google Maps, leading Google to disable reviews of the gulf.[50][51]

Among print publishers, Rand McNally stated that they would wait for the Department of the Interior to conduct legal and public review before making any adjustments to their atlases.[52] The Encyclopædia Britannica stated that they would retain Gulf of Mexico, noting Gulf of America as an alternative, but would follow any decision by the Board on Geographic Names to rename Denali to Mount McKinley.[53][54] On January 29, 2025, Iranian publisher Gitashenasi issued a Persian-language map of the United States that labels the gulf as both "Gulf of America" (خلیج امریکا) and "Gulf of Mexico" (خلیج مکزیک).[55]

Political commentator David Frum contrasts President Trump's renaming of the gulf, an attempt to project U.S. power, with the historical European practice of mariners naming seas after their destinations on the opposite side, critiquing the action as a marker of decline.[56] Military historian Michael W. Charney describes the replacement of an indigenous reference with a European-derived name as an example of settler colonialism and compares the move to China's unilateral actions with respect to territorial disputes in the South China Sea.[57]

Polling

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Opinion polls conducted since the executive order have ranked the renaming of the Gulf as one of the least popular actions of the second Trump administration.[58][59][60]

Renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America
Date of opinion poll Conducted by Sample size Margin of error Overall Democrats Independents Republicans
Support Unsure Oppose Support Support Support
January 24–26, 2025 Reuters/Ipsos[58][61] 1,034 U.S. adults ± 4% 25% 70%
January 27–February 5, 2025 Marquette University Law School[59][62] 1,018 U.S. adults ± 3.5% 29% 71% 4% 16% 57%
February 2–4, 2025 The Economist/YouGov[60][63] 1,604 U.S. adults ± 3% 29% 18% 54% 10% 54%

Alaska residents also opposed the order to rename Denali to Mount McKinley. An online poll by Alaska Public Media found that, among 600 respondents, about 95% preferred Denali over Mount McKinley.[64]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness" (Press release). The White House. January 20, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  2. ^ "Trump to make good on Gulf of America promise with bonkers executive order". The Independent. January 20, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  3. ^ Rogero, Tiago (January 20, 2025). "Can Trump really rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  4. ^ U.S. Department of the Interior/Sally Jewell (August 28, 2015). "Order No. 3337: Change of the Name of Mount McKinley to Denali" (PDF) (Press release). U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Campbell, Jon (August 30, 2015). "Old Name Officially Returns to Nation's Highest Peak". U.S. Board on Geographic Names (U.S. Geological Survey). Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  6. ^ Davidson, Kate (September 6, 2015), Sarah Palin, Once Code-Named Denali, Likes McKinley Better, The Wall Street Journal, retrieved September 8, 2015
  7. ^ Schuppe, Jon (August 31, 2015). "Mt. McKinley to Denali: How A Mountain's Renaming Got Tied Up in Politics". NBC News. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  8. ^ "President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America's tallest peak". AP News. December 23, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Hussain, Zoe (December 23, 2024). "Trump vows to give tallest mountain its old name back". Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Sabbatini, Mark (January 21, 2025). "Poll: Alaskans oppose reverting Denali back to Mt. McKinley by more than two to-one". Juneau Empire. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  11. ^ Fields, Ashleigh (January 9, 2025). "Greene introduces Gulf of America bill: 'It's our gulf'". The Hill. Washington, D.C. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  12. ^ DeSantis, Mark K.; Normand, Anna E. (January 27, 2025). Trump Administration Actions: Geographic Naming. CRS Reports (Report). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. p. 2. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  13. ^ Prater, Nia (February 12, 2025). "Almost Nobody Wants to Call It the 'Gulf of America'". New York. New York City. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  14. ^ "Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll" (PDF). Chicago: The Harris Poll. January 18, 2025. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  15. ^ Bogushevskaya, Victoria (2023). "Replaced but not forgotten: On Sinicised and Sinitic toponyms in Primoskij kraj" (PDF). Sulla Via del Catai. 28. Trent: Centro Studi Martino Martini: 147.
  16. ^ Jennings, Ken (2011). Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks. New York City: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-4391-6717-5 – via Internet Archive.
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  22. ^ Bush, Aidan; Clifton, Libby (January 22, 2025). "Along Gulf Coast, Donald Trump's plan for 'Gulf of America' touches residents' pride; some wonder what difference will it make". Gainesville, Florida: WUFT-FM. Fresh Take Florida. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
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  24. ^ Gulf of America can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-1506402" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
  25. ^ Veregin, Howard (February 11, 2025). "Farewell to the Gulf of Mexico". Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
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  27. ^ Stone, Eric (February 7, 2025). "Alaska Legislature formally opposes Trump's renaming of Denali as Mount McKinley". Anchorage, Alaska: Alaska Public Media. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  28. ^ Res. to maintain Denali as official name (House Joint Resolution). Alaska State Legislature. February 7, 2025. CSHJR 4(RLS). Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  29. ^ Samuels, Iris (February 13, 2025). "Murkowski introduces bill to keep Denali as the name of North America's tallest peak". Anchorage Daily News. Anchorage, Alaska. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  30. ^ Friedman, Lisa (January 22, 2025). "Denali or Mt. McKinley? Alaska Lawmakers Weigh In on Trump's Renaming Plan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  31. ^ "Mexico's president amused by Trump's order to rename the Gulf of Mexico". Associated Press. January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  32. ^ Janetsky, Megan (January 8, 2025). "Mexico's President Sheinbaum offers sarcastic response to Trump's 'Gulf of America' comment". Associated Press. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  33. ^ Dale Leal, Nicholas (January 21, 2025). "De Golfo de México a Golfo de América: Trump renombra el mapa, aunque con improbables consecuencias internacionales" [From Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America: Trump renames the map, although with international consequences unlikely]. El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  34. ^ "Nazwa Zatoki Meksykańskiej" [Name of the Gulf of Mexico] (Press release) (in Polish). Warsaw: Commission on Standardization of Geographical Names Outside the Republic of Poland. January 22, 2025. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b Sharp, John (February 13, 2025). "Alabama schools, maps, and agencies may soon be required by law to use 'Gulf of America'". al.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  36. ^ Kienlen, Alex (January 29, 2025). "Arkansas legislature 'Gulf of America' resolution dies in House committee". Rogers, Arkansas: KNWA-TV. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  37. ^ Abrams, Cameron (January 30, 2025). "State Lawmaker Seeks to Formalize Trump's 'Gulf of America' in Texas Constitution". The Texan. Austin, Texas. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  38. ^ Hillburn, Greg (February 11, 2025). "Here's what Governor Jeff Landry said Louisiana will do to adopt Gulf of America name". Detroit Free Press. Detroit. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
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  40. ^ "The AP establishes style guidance on the Gulf of Mexico and Mount McKinley". Associated Press. January 23, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
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  42. ^ Robertson, Katie (February 11, 2025). "White House Bars Reporter From Event Over A.P.'s Use of 'Gulf of Mexico'". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  43. ^ "Reporter banned from Oval Office event over editorial decision not to use 'Gulf of America,' AP says". CBC News. February 11, 2025. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
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  64. ^ Ruskin, Liz (February 3, 2025). "We asked: Mount McKinley or Denali? You said: Denali". Anchorage, Alaska: Alaska Public Media. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
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