Claudia Sheinbaum, president of Mexico, has responded to US president-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” – taking into account that ‘America’ is usually synonymous with the US for Americans. with a counterproposal to rename North America.
Standing before a map at his daily press conference, Sheinbaum proposed this Wednesday that the territory comprised by the United States and Mexico be known as “Mexican America,” and explained that a founding document from 1814 that preceded the Constitution of Mexico was thus referred to him.
“Sounds good, right?” he added, noting that the ocean basin bounded by the US Gulf Coast, the eastern states of Mexico and the island of Cuba has been known as the Gulf of Mexico since 1607.
Trump, who will be sworn in for his second term on Jan. 20, said Tuesday that he planned to rename the Gulf “the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring.” And he added: “It is appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to flood into our country.”
He also claimed that the United States’ southern neighbor was run by drug cartels, to which Sheinbaum bluntly responded: “In Mexico the people rule.”
The Mexican president’s reaction has begun to answer a larger question looming over the bilateral relationship between the two regional powers: how would the newly elected Sheinbaum handle Trump’s heavy-handed approach, as well as promises of mass deportations and taxes devastating to trading partners like Mexico?
Sheinbaum’s predecessor and political mentor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) was able to establish a relationship with Trump as an ally, and his government began to prevent people from emigrating north under pressure from the United States, which was a active for Trump.
But it was unclear whether Mexico’s first female president, a scientist who lacks the folksy political character that brought López Obrador to power, would be able to build the same relationship.
While Wednesday’s comment quickly bounced around social media, it also set the tone for what a Sheinbaum-Trump relationship could be for years to come.
“Humor can be a good tactic. It projects strength, which is what Trump responds to. It was probably the right choice on this issue,” said Brian Winter, vice president of the New York-based Council of the Americas: “Although President Sheinbaum knows it won’t work on everything: Trump and his administration will demand a commitment from Mexico in the big issues of immigration, drugs and trade.”
Sheinbaum’s statements come after other harsh but collaborative responses to Trump’s proposals.
Regarding Trump’s proposal to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican imports, Sheinbaum warned that if the new US administration imposes tariffs on Mexico, his administration will respond with similar measures. He said any type of tax was “unacceptable and would cause inflation and job losses for the United States and Mexico.”
He has adopted a more condescending tone on migration, in line with Mexico’s efforts in recent years to prevent people from migrating north. After initially saying his government would pressure the Trump administration to deport people directly to their respective countries of origin, he said in January that Mexico would be open to accepting deportees from other countries but could limit them to certain nationalities or ask for a compensation.
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