Donald Trump's attempt to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America' will be quietly ignored by British officials, sources have revealed.
The US president ordered American Mapmakers to make the change within hours of his impeachment on Monday, fulfilling a campaign promise that angered the Mexican government.
The executive order, titled “Restore Names That Honor (sic) American Greatness,” requires that the Gulf be referred to by its new name in all official documents “in recognition of this thriving economic resource and its critical importance to our nation's economy and its people'.
“We will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring,” Trump told reporters as he announced his plan on January 7.
“That covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. It's appropriate,'
Mexico has ridiculed the move, suggesting the US should be renamed 'Mexican America'.
And the UK will continue to call the Gulf by its existing name unless, or until, a new name becomes most commonly used in the English language, a source told the wire.
Officials believe this is unlikely to happen and insist the name “cannot be changed universally by a single country.”
No renaming will appear on government documents and the new name 'does not apply to UK products'.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office, giving us 30 days to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America'
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ridiculed the idea, suggesting
Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum was scathing about Trump's plan to rename the 617,800 square miles of ocean bordering the two countries.
“To us it's still the Gulf of Mexico, and to the whole world it's still the Gulf of Mexico,” she said Tuesday.
Earlier this month, she held a press conference in response to Trump's announcement, dramatically unveiling a map dating back to the 1600s that showed an early designation of North America with the title “America Mexicana” in giant letters.
And she said an 1814 document that preceded Mexico's constitution referred that way to the area that now includes the United States.
“Mexican America, that sounds fun, doesn't it?” She said sarcastically, pointing to a huge image of the 17th century map behind her.
'He talked about the name, we also talk about the name.'
She was accompanied by cultural advisor Alfonso Suarez del Real, who described the backstory of the name 'Mexican America' for North America.
“The fact is that Mexican America has been recognized since the 17th century … as the name for the entire northern part of the continent,” Suarez del Real said.
Former First Lady Hillary Clinton was seen smiling behind Trump's shoulder as he talked about his plan during his inaugural speech, but the announcement was warmly welcomed by leading Republicans.
Mapping companies, including Google Maps, are under pressure to change the name on their apps, with nearly 1,000 people demanding action on the company's help page.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (right) grinned as Trump announced the executive order forcing the name change upon his inauguration
Private mapping companies are being pressured to make the name change on their apps, but for now it will remain as the Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps
The Golf will remain under its old name on Google Maps for now, but official map makers in the US have 30 days to make the change.
The executive order noted that the Gulf would play a critical role in shaping America's future,” and would also change the name of Denali, the nation's tallest mountain, to its previous name of Mount McKinley.
The Alaskan Peak was named McKinley in 1896 after the nation's 25th President William McKinley, but renamed Denali by President Barack Obama in 2015 in recognition of its traditional Native American identity.
The latest change to the mountain's name will be internationally recognized because it is entirely within the US, but Trump may face a battle to convince the rest of the world to accept his new name for the Gulf of Mexico.
The United Nations has an influential committee dedicated to advising on disputed place names, including the Falkland Islands which Argentina calls the 'Malvinas'.
Currently the islands go by their British name in official UN documents, but have 'Malvinas' written next to them.
