A weather warning for Florida issued by the state’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis referred to Gulf of Mexico as “Gulf of America”, just hours after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the petroleum-rich ocean basin.
“An area of low pressure moving across the Gulf of America, interacting with Arctic air, will bring widespread impactful winter weather to North Florida beginning Tuesday,” the DeSantis order issued on Monday night said.
In a tweet, the Governor also warned the state’s residents against “dangerously cold temperatures across North Florida this week, with possibilities of snow and black ice”.
“Please stay attentive to weather conditions and safety alerts from local and state officials. Also, please be careful in icy conditions, especially on the roadways,” he added.
DeSantis, who unsuccessfully ran for the 2024 presidential election, attended Trump’s swearing-in ceremony in Washington D.C. on Monday.
As part of the President’s executive order, the Interior Secretary will be directed to change the name of the 1,100-mile-wide gulf on official US government maps and documents.
In his first address as President, Trump said that “a short time from now, we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America”.
While speaking to reporters at his Florida resort earlier this month, he suggested renaming the ocean basin and said, “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.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mocked Trump’s suggestion and proposed calling the US “Mexican America”.
Besides Gulf of America, Trump’s executive order also included reverting the name of Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, to Mount McKinley.
Former President Barack Obama changed the name of the Alaskan mountain in deference to Native Americans.