Trump Announces Plan To Change The Name Of The Gulf Of Mexico: 'What a Beautiful Name'

President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is planning on renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." He made the statement while talking to press at his Mar-a-Lago residence, also addressing issues already dominating his agenda, like his intention to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.

"We're going to be announcing at a future date. We do most of the work there, it's ours. We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. It covers a lot of territory, what a beautiful name. It's appropriate. Mexico has to stop millions of people to pour into our country. We're going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada," said Trump when discussing his intention.

Trump then refused to commit to not using economic or military force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, saying "we need them for economic security." "It might to be that you'll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital for our country. It's being operated by China. And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama, not China," he added.

It is the latest move by the President-elect and his associates to advance this matter. Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is currently in Greenland. "Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if and when it becomes part of our nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside world," said Trump when announcing his son's trip.

Last month the president-elect reiterated his belief that the territory would be a strategic asset, saying that U.S. ownership would provide critical advantages.

Trump first floated this during his first term in office; he said in 2019 that the island is "interesting" from a strategic standpoint. "We'd be interested, but we'll have to talk to them a little bit," Trump added then, saying "they're losing a tremendous amount of money."

Denmark already said the territory was not for sale back then, prompting Trump to cancel a visit to the country.

The U.S. attempted to purchase Greenland twice before Trump: once in 1867 and then in 1946. Then-President Harry Truman offered $100 million, but the offer was rejected by Denmark.

The Panamanian president has also rejected Trump's comments about the canal, denying there is Chinese interference.

"There is absolutely not any interference" from the country, Jose Raul Mulino said during a press briefing in late December, asked about Trump's message which mockingly wished a merry Christmas to "the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal."

Visibly irritated, he then said "there are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God." "There is not a single Chinese soldier in the canal."

Mulino went on to detail Panama is open to investment from any interested parties: "If they're Chinese, if they're Costa Rican, if they're American, all who want to invest in the country are welcome." "There is no discrimination here in foreign investment," he added.