Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterates intention to sue Google over gulf renaming
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterates intention to sue Google over gulf renaming
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White House bars AP reporter over 'Gulf of America' renaming
President Donald Trump's administration said the Associated Press was barred from a press briefing over their style decisions around renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened legal action against Google again Monday after it changed the name of the body of water between Mexico and Florida to the "Gulf of America."
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office renaming the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America" in an ongoing bid to put America first. Google later changed the name in its maps and Sheinbaum has already threatened to sue the tech giant in hopes it would reconsider.
In a press conference Monday, Sheinbaum reiterated her intentions, saying she was waiting for Google's response to her government's latest letter before proceeding with legal action. The second letter reminded Google that maritime zones under the U.S.'s sovereignty extend for a maximum of 12 nautical miles from the coast. She also read out Google's previous response, which stated the map would still read "Gulf of Mexico" when users are in Mexico.
Renaming the gulf "overreaches the power of any national authority or private entity. And, in this case, Mexico's government will proceed to exercise the actions that it deems appropriate according to the law," Sheinbaum said in Spanish, which was translated by USA TODAY. "We are waiting for Google's response, and if not, we will proceed in court."
Gulf of America? No paper straws? Trump makes his mark in ways big and small
Google users see different names based on where they are located
Trump's executive order renaming the gulf also reverses an Obama-administration geography name-change by reverting the name of the Alaska mountain "Denali" to "Mount McKinley."
While flying over the body of water on his way to the Super Bowl, he also proclaimed Feb. 9 as "Gulf of America Day."
The process to change a geographic name usually takes at least six months as the U.S. Board on Geographic Names consults with states, tribes, mapmakers and other parties, but Trump's order has already been enacted in Google maps, Apple maps, the National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, to name a few.
Google has previously said, "we have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources." The company has not responded to USA TODAY's inquiry regarding Sheinbaum's latest letter.
Depending on where Google Map users are in the world, they could see both names reflected on the map. Google has used this approach in other instances when official names vary between countries.
Contributing: Kayla Jimenez, Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com, and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.
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