President-elect Donald Trump wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico and said he is ready to impose "serious" tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring," Trump said. "That covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America, what a beautiful name. And it's appropriate."
Trump made the comment during a press conference in Mar-a-Lago.
Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon, a Trump supporter, said he thinks the name change is a great idea.
"My initial thoughts are anything that promotes America and puts America first has my support," Kennon told 1819 News. "What I love about it is anything that he does that lets the rest of the world know we are not going to be bullied and pushed around. I love it, and to me, that is what this is."
Trump said Mexico allows millions of people into the United States, bringing with them drugs at record numbers. Kennon agreed and said without the United States, "Mexico would be worse than a third-world country."
"I'm tired of paying homage to anyone who doesn't fear us or wants to do harm to us," he said. "We have to be an economic powerhouse. We have got to become energy-independent, we have to have an economy strong enough to deal with tariffs. He is making moves that make sense."
The United States' territorial sea is 12 nautical miles from the baseline, thanks to an expansion made by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The United States controls the area from the sea floor to the airspace. Trump says it should be called Gulf of America because the United States does more work there than any other country.
However, much of the Gulf of Mexico is international waters, which means an official name change recognized worldwide would likely require approval of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Trump said an official announcement would be made at a later date.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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