Day: September 5, 2025

After starting his second term, one of Trump’s first orders of business was to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

Trump’s executive order on January 20 directed the Secretary of the Interior to remove all mentions of the Gulf of Mexico from all federal references.

“The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America,” Trump wrote in the executive order on January 20.

Google Maps changed the name of the water basin to reflect Trump’s order.

In 2015, former President Barack Obama changed the name of Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America, to Denali. Denali was the name historically given to the mountain by native Alaskan tribes.

However, in his executive order on January 20, Trump changed the peak’s name back to Mount McKinley, after the US’s 25th President, William McKinley.

“This order honors President McKinley for giving his life for our great Nation and dutifully recognizes his historic legacy of protecting America’s interests and generating enormous wealth for all Americans,” Trump said in the order.

The order said the name of the national park surrounding the mountain, Denali National Park and Preserve, would not be changed.

In February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum renaming Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg.

The new name of the Army installation in North Carolina paid tribute to Roland L. Bragg, a US paratrooper during World War II.

The DOD’s February 10 news release called Bragg “a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.”

“This change underscores the installation’s legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation,” the release added.

Fort Barfoot, a military installation belonging to Virginia’s National Guard, was renamed Fort Pickett on June 11.

The National Guard said on its website that the name change was done to honor “Vernon W. Pickett for his extraordinary heroism during World War II.”

Located near the town of Blackstone, Virginia, the installation includes 41,000 acres of open and wooded terrain, per the National Guard’s website.

The installation was initially named Fort Barfoot in honor of Van Barfoot, a Native American soldier who was a World War II hero.

In May, Trump announced he would rename November 11, formerly Veterans Day, to Victory Day for World War I.

In a Truth Social post on May 1, he said that the US had “won both wars” but that the country doesn’t celebrate those wins properly.

He said in the post, “We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”

The US Department of Veterans Affairs website said that Veterans Day honors “America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.”