President Donald Trump signed numerous executive orders on his first day in office on Monday—one of the executive orders was to rename Mt. Denali and the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump expressed his intentions to rename the mountain and gulf for some time during his presidential campaign. Now, it’s coming into play.
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Mt. Denali
Mt. Denali in Alaska will be known as Mt. McKinley after the 25th President of the United States, William McKinley.
The national park surrounding North America’s highest peak will still be called Denali National Park and Preserve.
It was proposed to be called Mt. Denali in 1916, but legislation passed for the mountain to be named after McKinley in 1917. In 2015, Obama’s administration renamed the mountain to Denali, meaning “the Great One,” after the initial proposal.
Gulf of Mexico
The world’s largest gulf, which spans from Mexico to Florida, will be renamed the Gulf of America because, according to Trump, it’s been an “indelible part of America” and plays a “pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy.”
What happens next?
The renaming will take effect within 30 days of Jan. 20, 2025.
Other nations are not required to go along with the renaming of the Gulf of America. Trump’s ability is to have the gulf renamed in federal maps, contracts and other documents in the future.
According to the White House, the Secretary of the Interior will work with Alaska Native entities and state and local organizations to adopt names for landmarks to honor the history and culture of the Alaskan people as Mt. Denali becomes Mt. McKinley.
The Secretary of the Interior will be in charge of ensuring all federal databases will have the names changed.
