What to know about the online pop-up shop selling 'Gulf of America' merch

What to know about the online pop-up shop selling ‘Gulf of America’ merch

Posted by author January 22, 2025 Shopping

Within days of President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America,” a website of the same moniker has begun selling globes and maps bearing the new name.

The owners of GulfofAmerica.com did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment Wednesday afternoon but a look at the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine showed that on Jan. 8, the site was managed by domain registrar NameBright.com.

The website is registered to NameBright, although the owner of the domain and store is still unknown.

According to GulfofAmerica.com, the store sells hats, T-shirts and other gifts.

As of Wednesday afternoon, listed on Gulfofamerica.com are three products:

American Floor “Gulf of America” globe – $249.95.
“Gulf of America” globe – $175 regularly, sale priced at $149.99.
“Gulf of America” maps (Sold out) – $99.99 regularly, sale priced at 49.99.

The owners describe the “Gulf of America” globe as one that “showcases the Gulf of America in place of the Gulf of Mexico, reinforcing a patriotic perspective.”

“Inspired by the vision of reimagining the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, we proudly create apparel and accessories that celebrate the strength, pride, and sovereignty of our great nation,” the owners wrote about the company.

Earlier this month, Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo pushed back against Trump’s plans to rename the gulf by suggesting that the U.S. get a renaming of its own: “Mexican America.”

Looking at a 17th-century map of North and South America, she added: “Obviously the Gulf of Mexico is recognized by the United Nations … but why don’t we call this ‘Mexican America’?”

‘The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future,’ Trump says

President Trump signed the executive order on Monday requiring the federal government to rename the gulf on Monday within 30 days.

When announcing the executive order and its changes, the Trump administration called the gulf “a crucial artery for America’s early trade and global commerce,” referring to its natural resources such as oil and wildlife like snapper, shrimp, grouper and stone crabs.

“The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America,” Trump wrote in the order.

Another Trump executive order: Denali to be renamed as Mount McKinley

Another name change the Trump administration has pushed for is restoring the name Mount McKinley (after President William McKinley, the 25th U.S. president) to the nation’s tallest peak, which is in Denali National Park.

Back in January of 1916, hunter Charles Sheldon argued that once the park was established, it should be named Mount Denali National Park due to its cultural significance, according to the National Park Service.

Sheldon wrote to Thomas Riggs of the Alaska Engineering Commission on Jan. 13, 1916: “I hope that in the bill you will call it ‘Mt Denali National Park’ so that the true old Indian … name of Mt Denali (meaning ‘the Great One’) will thus be preserved,” according to the NPS site.

According to the NPS, Native groups use “unique” names for the mountain, one of them being Denali, from the Koyukon language spoken on the north side of the mountain.

But Riggs, of the Alaska Engineering Commission, did not like the name and said it was “not descriptive,” and went with McKinley’s name, honoring the president who was shot in September 1901 and died eight days later.

The decision was overturned in 2015 by then-President Barack Obama’s administration, which changed the mountain’s name to Denali.

“This order honors President McKinley for giving his life for our great Nation and dutifully recognizes his historic legacy of protecting America’s interests and generating enormous wealth for all Americans,” Trump wrote in his order on Monday.

Trump also added that the Secretary of the Interior must work with Alaska Natives and state and local organizations to choose names for landmarks that honor their history and culture.

Contributing: Lauren Villagran, USA TODAY

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.