Latest news with #GulfofAmericaDay
Japan Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Trump likes renaming people, places and things. He's not the first to deploy that perk of power
By LAURIE KELLMAN FILE - President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation declaring Feb. 9 Gulf of America Day, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum watches aboard Air Force One as Trump travels from West Palm Beach, Fla. to New Orleans, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File) History, it has been said, is written by the winners. President Donald Trump is working that lever of power — again. This time, he's insisting that Washington's NFL team change its name from the Commanders back to the Redskins, a name that was considered offensive to Native Americans. Predictably, to Trump's stated delight, an internet uproar ensued. It's a return to the president's favorite rebranding strategy, one well-used around the world and throughout history. Powers-that-be rename something — a body of water, a mountain in Alaska, St. Petersburg, Istanbul, Mumbai, various places in Israel after 1948 — in line with 'current' political and cultural views. Using names to tell a leader's own version of the nation's story is a perk of power that Trump is far from the first to enjoy. A name, after all, defines identity and even reality because it is connected to the verb "to be,' says one brand strategist. 'A parent naming a child, a founder naming a company, a president naming a place ... in each example, we can see the relationship of power,' Shannon Murphy, who runs Nameistry, a naming agency that works with companies and entrepreneurs to develop brand identities, said in an email. 'Naming gives you control.' In Trump's case, reviving the debate over the Washington football team's name had the added effect of distraction. 'My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way,' he wrote on his social media platform, adding a threat to derail the team's deal for a new stadium if it resisted. In fact, part of the reaction came from people noting that Trump's proposed renaming came as he struggled to move past a rebellion among his supporters over the administration's refusal to release much-hyped records in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking investigation. Over about two weeks, Trump had cycled through many tactics — downplaying the issue, blaming others, scolding a reporter, insulting his own supporters, suing the Wall Street Journal and finally authorizing the Justice Department to try to unseal grand jury transcripts. Trump's demand that the NFL and the District of Columbia change the team's name back to a dictionary definition of a slur against Native Americans reignited a brawl in miniature over race, history and the American identity. Trump's reelection itself can be seen as a response to the nation's reckoning with its racial history after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. That year, Americans elected Democratic President Joe Biden, who championed diversity. During his term, Washington's football team became first the Washington Football Team, then the Commanders, at a widely estimated cost in the tens of millions of dollars. And in 2021, The Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians. In 2025, Trump has ordered a halt to diversity, equity and inclusion programs through the federal government, universities and schools, despite legal challenges. And he wants the Commanders' name changed back, though it's unclear if he has the authority to restrict the nearly $4 billion project. What's clear is that names carry great power where business, national identity, race, history and culture intersect. Trump has had great success for decades branding everything from buildings he named after himself to the Gulf between Mexico, Cuba and the United States to his political opponents and people he simply doesn't like. Exhibit A: Florida's governor, dubbed by Trump 'Meatball Ron' DeSantis, who challenged him for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. And Trump is not the first leader to use monikers and nicknames — branding, really — to try to define reality and the people who populate it. Naming was a key tool of colonization that modern-day countries are still trying to dislodge. 'Naming,' notes one expert, 'is never neutral.' 'To name is to collapse infinite complexity into a manageable symbol, and in that compression, whole worlds are won or lost,' linguist Norazha Paiman wrote last month on Medium. 'When the British renamed places throughout India or Africa, they weren't just updating maps," Paiman wrote. "They were restructuring the conceptual frameworks through which people could relate to their own territories." Trump's order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America is perhaps the best-known result of Executive Order 14172, titled 'Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.' The renaming sent mapmakers, search engines and others into a flurry over whether to change the name. And it set off a legal dispute with The Associated Press over First Amendment freedoms that is still winding through the courts. The news outlet's access to events in the Oval Office and Air Force One was cut back starting in February after the AP said it would continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its copy, while noting Trump's wishes that it instead be renamed the Gulf of America. It's unclear if Trump's name will stick universally — or go the way of 'freedom fries," a brief attempt by some in the George W. Bush-era GOP to rebrand french fries after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But there's evidence that at least for business in some places, the 'Gulf of America' terminology has staying power. Chevron's earnings statements of late have referred to the Gulf of America, because 'that's the position of the U.S. government now,' CEO Mike Wirth said during a Jan. 31 call with investors. And along the Gulf Coast in Republican Louisiana, leaders of the state's seafood industry call the body of water the Gulf of America, in part, because putting that slogan on local products might help beat back the influx of foreign shrimp flooding American markets, the Louisiana Illuminator news outlet reported. The racial reckoning inspired by Floyd's killing rippled across the cultural landscape. Quaker retired the Aunt Jemima brand after it had been served up at America's breakfast tables for 131 years, saying it recognized that the character's origins were 'based on a racial stereotype.' Eskimo Pies became Edy's. The Grammy-winning country band Lady Antebellum changed its name to Lady A, saying they were regretful and embarrassed that their former moniker was associated with slavery. And Trump didn't start the fight over football. Democratic President Barack Obama, in fact, told The Associated Press in 2013 that he would 'think about changing' the name of the Washington Redskins if he owned the team. Trump soon after posted to Twitter: 'President should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name-our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them, not nonsense.' Fast-forward to July 20, 2025, when Trump posted that the Washington Commanders should change their name back to the Redskins. 'Times," the president wrote, 'are different now.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Toronto Star
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Trump likes renaming people, places and things. He's not the first to deploy that perk of power
FILE - President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation declaring Feb. 9 Gulf of America Day, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum watches aboard Air Force One as Trump travels from West Palm Beach, Fla. to New Orleans, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File) BC flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Winnipeg Free Press
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump likes renaming people, places and things. He's not the first to deploy that perk of power
History, it has been said, is written by the winners. President Donald Trump is working that lever of power — again. This time, he's insisting that Washington's NFL team change its name from the Commanders back to the Redskins, a name that was considered offensive to Native Americans. Predictably, to Trump's stated delight, an internet uproar ensued. It's a return to the president's favorite rebranding strategy, one well-used around the world and throughout history. Powers-that-be rename something — a body of water, a mountain in Alaska, St. Petersburg, Istanbul, Mumbai, various places in Israel after 1948 — in line with 'current' political and cultural views. Using names to tell a leader's own version of the nation's story is a perk of power that Trump is far from the first to enjoy. FILE - President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation declaring Feb. 9 Gulf of America Day, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum watches aboard Air Force One as Trump travels from West Palm Beach, Fla. to New Orleans, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File) A name, after all, defines identity and even reality because it is connected to the verb 'to be,' says one brand strategist. 'A parent naming a child, a founder naming a company, a president naming a place … in each example, we can see the relationship of power,' Shannon Murphy, who runs Nameistry, a naming agency that works with companies and entrepreneurs to develop brand identities, said in an email. 'Naming gives you control.' Trump reignited a debate on football and American identity In Trump's case, reviving the debate over the Washington football team's name had the added effect of distraction. 'My statement on the Washington Redskins has totally blown up, but only in a very positive way,' he wrote on his social media platform, adding a threat to derail the team's deal for a new stadium if it resisted. In fact, part of the reaction came from people noting that Trump's proposed renaming came as he struggled to move past a rebellion among his supporters over the administration's refusal to release much-hyped records in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking investigation. Over about two weeks, Trump had cycled through many tactics — downplaying the issue, blaming others, scolding a reporter, insulting his own supporters, suing the Wall Street Journal and finally authorizing the Justice Department to try to unseal grand jury transcripts. Trump's demand that the NFL and the District of Columbia change the team's name back to a dictionary definition of a slur against Native Americans reignited a brawl in miniature over race, history and the American identity. Trump's reelection itself can be seen as a response to the nation's reckoning with its racial history after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. That year, Americans elected Democratic President Joe Biden, who championed diversity. During his term, Washington's football team became first the Washington Football Team, then the Commanders, at a widely estimated cost in the tens of millions of dollars. And in 2021, The Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians. In 2025, Trump has ordered a halt to diversity, equity and inclusion programs through the federal government, universities and schools, despite legal challenges. And he wants the Commanders' name changed back, though it's unclear if he has the authority to restrict the nearly $4 billion project. Is Trump's 'Redskins' push a distraction or a power play? What's clear is that names carry great power where business, national identity, race, history and culture intersect. Trump has had great success for decades branding everything from buildings he named after himself to the Gulf between Mexico, Cuba and the United States to his political opponents and people he simply doesn't like. Exhibit A: Florida's governor, dubbed by Trump 'Meatball Ron' DeSantis, who challenged him for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. And Trump is not the first leader to use monikers and nicknames — branding, really — to try to define reality and the people who populate it. Naming was a key tool of colonization that modern-day countries are still trying to dislodge. 'Naming,' notes one expert, 'is never neutral.' 'To name is to collapse infinite complexity into a manageable symbol, and in that compression, whole worlds are won or lost,' linguist Norazha Paiman wrote last month on Medium. 'When the British renamed places throughout India or Africa, they weren't just updating maps,' Paiman wrote. 'They were restructuring the conceptual frameworks through which people could relate to their own territories.' This is not Trump's first rebranding push Trump's order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America is perhaps the best-known result of Executive Order 14172, titled 'Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.' The renaming sent mapmakers, search engines and others into a flurry over whether to change the name. And it set off a legal dispute with The Associated Press over First Amendment freedoms that is still winding through the courts. The news outlet's access to events in the Oval Office and Air Force One was cut back starting in February after the AP said it would continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its copy, while noting Trump's wishes that it instead be renamed the Gulf of America. It's unclear if Trump's name will stick universally — or go the way of 'freedom fries,' a brief attempt by some in the George W. Bush-era GOP to rebrand french fries after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But there's evidence that at least for business in some places, the 'Gulf of America' terminology has staying power. Chevron's earnings statements of late have referred to the Gulf of America, because 'that's the position of the U.S. government now,' CEO Mike Wirth said during a Jan. 31 call with investors. And along the Gulf Coast in Republican Louisiana, leaders of the state's seafood industry call the body of water the Gulf of America, in part, because putting that slogan on local products might help beat back the influx of foreign shrimp flooding American markets, the Louisiana Illuminator news outlet reported. Renaming is a bipartisan endeavor The racial reckoning inspired by Floyd's killing rippled across the cultural landscape. Quaker retired the Aunt Jemima brand after it had been served up at America's breakfast tables for 131 years, saying it recognized that the character's origins were 'based on a racial stereotype.' Eskimo Pies became Edy's. The Grammy-winning country band Lady Antebellum changed its name to Lady A, saying they were regretful and embarrassed that their former moniker was associated with slavery. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Jen Zoratti | Next Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. And Trump didn't start the fight over football. Democratic President Barack Obama, in fact, told The Associated Press in 2013 that he would 'think about changing' the name of the Washington Redskins if he owned the team. Trump soon after posted to Twitter: 'President should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name-our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them, not nonsense.' Fast-forward to July 20, 2025, when Trump posted that the Washington Commanders should change their name back to the Redskins. 'Times,' the president wrote, 'are different now.' ___
Metro
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Trump is not stopping at Gulf of America as he 'plans to rename Persian Gulf'
Renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America was apparently not enough for Donald Trump. The American president is reportedly planning to announce that the US will call the Persian Gulf a new name – the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia. Trump will reveal the change during his trip to Saudi Arabia next week, two US officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Metro. Trump's latest move to rebrand geography would come several months after he signed an executive order – one of his first in his second term – to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. He then recognized February 9 as the first-ever Gulf of America Day and following the order, Google Maps made the change as well. The Persian Gulf got its name in the 16th century, but many nations in the Middle East have been referring to it as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia. The US military has also used Arabian Gulf in all of its statements, and Trump referred to it that way during his first term. Iran, which is the former Persia, in 2012 threatened a lawsuit against Google for not naming the body of water on its maps. The nearly 97,000-square-mile gulf borders Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Google Maps in the US labels the body of water as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to 16. He is seeking to forge stronger connections with the Gulf countries for their support in limiting Iran's nuclear program, resolving the Israel-Hamas war, and encouraging them to invest financially in the US. Trump in his Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated he would make an 'earth-shattering' announcement, and it is not clear if he was referring to the renaming the gulf. More Trending 'I won't tell you on what… and it's very positive,' said Trump. 'It'll be one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject, very important subject.' Trump has the power to change the gulf's name in the US, but not in other countries. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: New Disney theme park in the Middle East has one major difference MORE: Donald Trump claims football World Cup could end Russia's invasion of Ukraine MORE: Major travel requirement change you need to fly across US comes into effect today
NDTV
03-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Kamala Harris, Gulf Of Mexico: White House Shares 4 "Simple Truths" Post
The White House has shared a post on its official X (formerly Twitter) page about the 'four simple truths', featuring a collage of Democrat Kamala Harris, Gulf Of Mexico and news outlet NPR, among others. Evidently, the images are of people or entities whose actions or viewpoints the US President Donald Trump and his administration disagree with. Let's take a look at each of the four images: 1) Kamala Harris The first photo features US Vice President Kamala Harris, with a text overlay that read, 'Not President.' The timing of this post is significant, coming shortly after Ms Harris' first major speech since losing the US Presidential elections in November 2024. In her speech a couple of days ago, she criticised Donald Trump. She described the US President's economic policies, particularly his sweeping tariffs, as the catalyst for what she labelled the 'greatest man-made economic crisis' in modern history, reported CNN. She also warned that Donald Trump's ongoing conflicts with the judiciary were pushing the nation towards a constitutional crisis. 2) Kilmar Abrego Garcia The next image highlights Kilmar Abrego Garcia, with the text 'Not a 'Maryland Man'". Mr Garcia, a father of three, was living in Maryland when he was deported to El Salvador, a decision that has sparked controversy. The Donald Trump administration said that Mr Garcia was a member of the violent MS-13 gang. Garcia's family and legal representatives dispute these accusations, maintaining that he is innocent with no criminal convictions in the US. He is currently being held in a prison, while his family continues to fight for his return. 3) NPR The next image shows the NPR logo, with the text 'Not real news". This reference stems from President Donald Trump's executive order signed on May 1, which sought to reduce public subsidies for NPR. Mr Trump accused the network of bias and propagating 'radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news,'' reported news agency Reuters. The executive order directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS, as well as to eliminate indirect sources of taxpayer funding. 4) Gulf of Mexico The final image shows a water body on a map, with the caption 'Not Gulf of Mexico". This section alludes to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on his first day in office to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the 'Gulf of America.' The order also declared February 9 as 'Gulf of America Day". This act was symbolic of Donald Trump's inclination to assert a more nationalistic and American-centric approach to geographical and cultural identities Take a look at the post here: Four simple truths... — The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 2, 2025 The post stands out for its stark visuals and pointed messaging, clearly targeting individuals and institutions frequently criticised by Donald Trump. Each image appears to reinforce the administration's stance on key figures and issues, aligning with Trump's ongoing narrative since returning to office.
