| Advertisement |
Feb. 10 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump declared Sunday the first-ever "Gulf of America Day" as he flew in Air Force One over the body of water en route to the Super Bowl. "We're flying right over it right now, so we thought this would be appropriate," he told reporters in the mid-air press conference. "Even bigger than the Super Bowl. This is a big thing."
Advertisement
Among Trump's executive orders on his first day in office was "Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness," directing the secretary of the Interior to change the names of Alaska's Denali to Mount McKinley and the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
On Jan. 24, the Interior Department announced the name change had been implemented.
Moments before Trump was to sign the proclamation, a voice over the jet's intercom interrupted the press conference to announce that Air Force One, "for the first time in history," was flying over "the recently renamed Gulf of America."
"Wow," Trump said in response to the announcement. "He did that well. Isn't that nice? Make America great again, that's what we care about."
The brief order proclaims Feb. 9, 2025, as Gulf of America Day and calls on all public officials and U.S. residents to observe the day with "appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities."
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who accompanied Trump on the flight, described Sunday as a "historic day."
He explained that his office was calling all map providers, including Google, to ensure the Gulf of Mexico was rechristened on their services by Sunday afternoon.
Google previously said that once official, it would update Google Maps to show the new name in the United States, though both names of the body of water will be displayed throughout the rest of the world.
As of late Sunday, Google Maps still presented it as Gulf of Mexico.
UPI has contacted Google for comment.
"Happy Gulf of America Day!" the White House celebrated on X.
