Omg, so like, American tech companies are totally renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America for U.S. audiences, and people are losing it. This all started when Trump—yes, him—signed an executive order in January 2025 making it official because, like, America first, duh. Apparently, it’s all about “honoring American greatness,” and now companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft are just rolling with it.
Okay, so, history lesson: the Gulf of Mexico has been called that for, like, over 400 years. But Trump was all, “Nah, we’re changing it,” and also tried to rename other stuff, like Denali in Alaska back to Mount McKinley. And, like, let’s be real, some people are eating it up, but a lot of Americans are just, like, “Why?” A Reuters/Ipsos poll said, like, 70% of people think this whole thing is ridiculous. But, like, of course, Fox News is already using “Gulf of America” while AP is sticking with the old name because, ya know, facts. Although, now it seems like AP may be barred from covering the White House news – like what is happening!?
And now, the tech world is, like, fully on board. Google Maps? Yeah, if you’re in the U.S., it says “Gulf of America,” but if you’re in Mexico, it still says “Gulf of Mexico.” Apple Maps did the same thing, and Bing was, like, “same vibes.” And people noticed. Like, Twitter (sorry, X, whatever) had a full-on meltdown when someone spotted the update and was like, “Uh, excuse me?“
The reaction has been so dramatic. In the U.S., people are, like, “literally no one asked for this,” and internationally? Omg. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum is not happy. She basically said that, like, Mexico and the rest of the world are not changing the name, so tech companies can just sit down. And honestly? People are kinda worried that this could, like, start a whole new thing where countries just start renaming, like, everything to suit their vibe. Like, what’s next, France renaming the Atlantic?
So yeah, this whole thing is wild. Tech companies are just following the political drama, and now maps are, like, low-key rewriting history. People are mad, Mexico is mad, and honestly? Most Americans are just, like, “Can we focus on literally anything else?“
XOXO,
Valley Girl News
Image by Google Maps.
