The Gulf of Mexico? Trump thinks it should be the ‘Gulf of Trump’ — another monument to his endless self-obsession
One thing I probably like (hate to put it this way) about Donald Trump is his transparency and honesty about his personality. He doesn’t try to hide the fact that he is trying to become a dictator or attempting to wage war with foreign nations, or that, generally, he is just a weird dude with a lot of power; he just talks about it and owns it.
During a press briefing held at the White House on Tuesday, Trump made some concerning comments about the Gulf of Mexico, which have left a lot of people confused and, honestly, worried. In an excerpt from his address, which is currently being heavily shared on social media, including popular platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Trump can be seen engaging in some light-hearted banter with the audience while discussing the Gulf of Mexico, which has recently been renamed to the Gulf of America as per an executive order. Talking about the name change, Trump joked that he had wanted to rename the area to “Gulf of Trump” after his family name and not what it is now, but that he was scared that people would come after him for the decision. He said:
I said, why, why is it the Gulf of Mexico? It should be the Gulf of America. I was going to call it the Gulf of Trump, but I thought that I would be killed if I did that.”
Trump also revealed that his peers prevented him from associating his name with the area because it wouldn’t reflect well on him and his reputation. He said:
I wanted to do it. I wanted to. My people worked so hard. ‘Sir, I don’t think it’ll look too good.’ I’m telling you it’s a good thing. ‘And it’ll be hotter than ever,’ I said. No, but I decided not to do that.”
For someone who repeatedly denies being a dictator or a King, this is not normal behaviour. After associating his name with the Kennedy Centre, the president of a first-world country, explicitly talking about renaming regions after himself, should alarm people. And it’s not just what he says he will do; it’s also what he is actually doing on the ground that should worry people. He might say that he is joking about all of this, but how long will it take for this to turn into reality? Because one thing I have learnt about Trump, at least in his second term of presidency, is that no matter how obnoxious the claim is, if there is an opportunity, there is always a possibility.
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