MEXICO CITY On Wednesday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, to which Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum replied cynically.
In her monthly press conference, Sheinbaum stood in front of a world map and dryly suggested that North America be renamed “América Mexicana,”
Or “Mexican America,” as it was the term given to it in a founding document from 1814 that predated Mexico’s constitution.
“That sounds good, doesn’t it?” Her tone was caustic as she added. She said that since 1607, the Gulf of Mexico has been known by that name.
A bigger concern that has persisted in the bilateral relationship between the two regional giants has begun to be addressed by the exchange:
How will Sheinbaum, who was just elected, respond to Trump’s assertive diplomatic style, his threats of mass deportations, and his crushing taxation of trade partners like Mexico?