(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Google announced Monday that it will comply with President Donald Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
Although the changes to Google Maps have yet to reflect the Trump administrations name change, the tech company said its maps will be relabeled as soon as the Geographic Names Information System, a government database of names and location data, is updated.
We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.
— News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 27, 2025
“We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps. We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” Google wrote in a thread on X.
Google continued by explaining that altered geographic features in the U.S. appear on its maps as soon as the GNIS confirms the change.
On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.”
Along with ordering the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, the Republican president ordered the restoration of the name “Mount McKinley” for the landmark former President Barack Obama renamed “Denali.”
Also longstanding practice: When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.
— News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 27, 2025
BREAKING: Google Maps Forced to Bow to Trump's Will, Updates to Show 'Gulf of America' and 'Mount McKinley' pic.twitter.com/SjgFlSLJIO
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 27, 2025
“When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America,” Google wrote as it awaits the GNIS update.
Google added at the end of its X thread, “Also longstanding practice; When official names vary between countries, Maps users see their official local name. Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too.”
Google has changed its maps to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of AMERICA after President Trump’s executive orders.
But Congress must pass my bill officially changing its name so that a future America last admin doesn’t change it back! pic.twitter.com/IOOyJNRdT6
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 28, 2025
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene celebrated Google acknowledging the Gulf of America, but warned that the name change could be reversed come the next administration. She called on Congress to pass a bill to set the Gulf of America in stone.
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by Headline USA, the Daily Caller, The Federalist, and the American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
