Can Trump rename the Gulf of Mexico? Here's what he wants to call it

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Trump says he's renaming Gulf of Mexico to 'Gulf of America'

President-elect Donald Trump told reporters he plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."

Could President-elect Donald Trump change the name of the Gulf of Mexico?

In a news conference at his Florida home at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said he wanted to change the name of the Gulf "pretty soon."

“We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring,” Trump said. “That covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America, what a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate.”

Trump said he plans to put goods on tariffs on Mexico and Canada.

Why is the Gulf named for Mexico?

According to the Texas State Historical Association, the area spanning from the west side of Florida to skirt the southern coast of the modern U.S. and along a large portion of Mexico was considered Spanish waters for about 150 years after the area was discovered by Europeans.

The bay was most often called Seno Mexicano, meaning gulf or bay, but it was also sometimes referred to as Golfo de Nueva España and Golfo de México.

The area was mapped by the Spanish starting around the 1540s.

Mississippi lawmaker wanted to rename the Gulf

In 2012, Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, introduced a bill at the state level to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” Holland reportedly said he was poking fun at anti-immigration talking points. The bill was unsuccessful.

Trump wants to rename mountain in Alaska

Trump wants to rename Denali, a mountain in Alaska, as Mount McKinley.

The peak was first named McKinley in 1896. Then-President Barack Obama changed the name to Denali to a local Native American name. It means "the High One" in Athabascan.

William McKinley was a former U.S. president, but the 2015 U.S. Department of the Interior order signed by Obama noted McKinley had never been there and has no "significant historical connection to the mountain or to Alaska."

Contributing: Cheryl McCloud and C. A. Bridges

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.