The President of Mexico is exploring the possibility of taking legal action against Google after the tech giant renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on its maps, reportedly at the request of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Thursday that her administration is evaluating legal options to revert the name change on Google Maps.
"We are going to wait. We are currently examining the legal implications of this situation, but we hope that Google will reconsider," she stated.
This development follows an announcement by Donald Trump, who declared during his campaign that he would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America through an executive order if he returns to the White House.
"We're going to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America—it has a beautiful ring to it. It covers a lot of territory," Trump said.
"The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate," he added.
In response to Trump's statement, Google updated its Google Maps app to display "Gulf of America" for users within the United States. For users outside the U.S., including those in Mexico, both names are shown.
Sheinbaum emphasized that the term "Gulf of Mexico" has been internationally recognized and accepted for years.
"All we are asking of Google is to review the decree issued by the White House and signed by President Donald Trump," she said.
"You'll see in that decree that it does not refer to the entire gulf," she added.
In a post on X, Google addressed the controversy, stating: "We've received several questions about naming conventions in Google Maps. We follow a longstanding practice of updating names when changes are made in official government sources."
The company explained that it relies on the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which would have reflected the name change under Trump's executive order.
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