In a flurry of first-day-in-office activity, Donald Trump has signed an order to rename the 617,800 sq mile Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s 20,000ft mountain Denali.
The Gulf of Mexico will be renamed the Gulf of America, and Denali, the highest peak in North America, will revert to Mount McKinley – the name it was called before Barack Obama changed it in 2015.
The renaming of the two natural features is to honor “American greatness”, according to a preview of the orders obtained by the New York Post.
“President Trump is bringing common sense to government and renewing the pillars of American civilization,” the executive order said.
The order directs the secretary of the interior, nominated by Trump to be North Dakota’s governor, Doug Burgum, to change the names in federal communications and on official maps.
It will have no bearing on what names are used internationally.
“President McKinley is honored for giving his life for our great nation and dutifully recognized for his historic legacy of protecting America’s interests and generating enormous wealth for our nation,” the draft order reads, and praises the body of water for being “pivotal” in the maritime industry and for its “energy production, international commerce, tourism, fishing, and recreation”.
Mount McKinley was officially named in honor of William McKinley in 1917, 16 years after he was assassinated during a public appearance in Buffalo, New York, though it was unofficially named McKinley in 1896 by a gold prospector.
The name change is said to be of special significance to the new president because he sees a kinship with McKinley. At a rally in December, Trump praised McKinley as “a great president, very good president. At a minimum, he was a very good businessman. He was a businessman, then a governor, very successful businessman.”
Obama changed the name to Denali – the name given it by Koyukon speakers of the Koyukon Athabaskans in western interior Alaska.
The state of Alaska requested that the mountain be officially recognized as Denali in 1975, but the change was blocked by a congressional delegation from McKinley’s home state of Ohio.
Trump discussed the Gulf of Mexico name change earlier this month in a speech on tariffs.
“We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America. What a beautiful name and it’s appropriate,” Trump declared.
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