PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Mexico is suing Google for listing the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America on Google Maps for U.S. users.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Claudia Sheinbaum, Google, President Donald J. Trump, the Republican-led House of Representatives.
📍 Where & When: Sheinbaum announced the lawsuit on Friday, May 9, 2025; the name change was initiated in January with Trump’s Executive Order.
💬 Key Quote: “All we want is for the decree issued by the U.S. government to be complied with,” President Sheinbaum stated, asserting that Trump’s order to rename the Gulf only applies to the U.S.’s portion of the continental shelf.
⚠️ Impact: The renaming has led to international tensions and a legal dispute, with broader implications for U.S. foreign relations.
IN FULL:
Mexico has initiated legal action against Google for its decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America on its Maps platform for U.S. users, according to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The controversy began when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to officially rename the Gulf for federal agencies. This move followed an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump on his first day in office, arguing that Americans “do most of the work there, and it’s ours.”
President Sheinbaum has expressed her government’s stance that Trump’s order should apply solely to the U.S. portion of the continental shelf, insisting that the U.S. does not possess the authority to rename the entire Gulf. “All we want is for the decree issued by the U.S. government to be complied with,” she stated.
In January, Sheinbaum reached out to Google, requesting a reconsideration of the name change. When no action was taken, she threatened legal proceedings in February. Google has maintained that the change aligns with its “longstanding practice” of adopting name changes when updated by official government sources. The tech giant clarified that the Gulf’s name would remain unchanged for users in Mexico, while users globally would see “Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).”
The Associated Press (AP) has also been caught in the crossfire. Its refusal to adopt the new name led to a prolonged conflict with the White House, which restricted AP’s access to certain events until a federal judge intervened in April.
Further complicating matters, President Trump hinted at potentially renaming another body of water. During an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, he intends to announce that the U.S. will refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia. This has prompted a strong reaction from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who hopes the “absurd rumours” are merely a “disinformation campaign,” warning that such actions would provoke significant backlash from Iranians.