Jan. 25 (UPI) —
The Trump administration has officially implemented name changes for Alaska’s Mount Denali and the Gulf of Mexico, as requested by the new president.
“These changes reaffirm the Nation’s commitment to preserving the extraordinary heritage of the United States and ensuring that future generations of Americans celebrate the legacy of its heroes and historic assets,” the department said in a statement.
Department officials said the U.S. Board on Geographic Names “is working expeditiously to update the official federal nomenclature in the Geographic Names Information System to reflect these changes, effective immediately for federal use.”
In Friday’s news release, Trump administration officials called that move “an affront to President McKinley’s life, his achievements, and his sacrifice.”
“For years, I advocated in Congress to restore the rightful name for this majestic mountain to respect Alaska’s first people who have lived on these lands for thousands of years. This is an issue that should not be relitigated.”
Earlier this month, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took a shot at Trump’s plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico, jokingly suggesting that the United States should be called “América Mexicana.”
“Why don’t we call it ‘Mexican America?’ It sounds nice, right? Since 1607, the Constitution of Apatzingán was of Mexican America. So, let’s call it that,” she said.