On 8 January Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested part of the US be renamed to América Mexicana (Mexican America) in response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s professed plans to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Analysis:
The exchange offers the latest indication of how Sheinbaum may approach dealings with Trump after he takes office on 20 January. Her sardonic comments demonstrated an attempt to use humour to rebuff Trump’s insults and downplay the implications of his proposal. It was also a show of strength, with Sheinbaum presenting Mexico as an equal ready to respond in kind to any punitive action Trump may take against Mexico, in keeping with her promise to implement retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump’s trade threats. However, Sheinbaum will have to strike a careful balance as she also clearly wants to maintain cordial relations with the US and will likely acquiesce on issues such as migration and drug trafficking. Trump’s rhetoric has similarly caused headaches for other regional leaders as Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino has been forced to repeatedly defend his country’s claim to the Panama Canal. Be they pure rhetoric or genuine proposals, the declarations are indicative of the destabilising effect the Trump presidency is likely to have on the region.
- Standing before a 17th century map of North America in her morning press conference, Sheinbaum suggested the continent be renamed ‘América Mexicana’, as it was labelled on the map, adding with a smile, “that sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
- Sheinbaum was responding to comments made by Trump during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on 7 January, in which he said that “we are going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring.” Sheinbaum noted that the Gulf of Mexico had been known this way since 1607 and this was how it is internationally recognised.
- She also responded to Trump’s assertion that Mexico was “essentially… governed by the cartels”, retorting that Trump was “misinformed” and must think that Mexico is still ruled by former president Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) and his public security ministry, Genaro García Luna, who was sentenced in the US last year for taking bribes from drug trafficking organisations (DTOs).
- Despite the jibes, Sheinbaum said she was “sure” her government would have good relations with Trump’s administration, noting that her predecessor and mentor, former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), had a good relationship with Trump during his first presidency (2017-2021). Nevertheless, she reiterated that “there has to be a relationship of mutual respect, of collaboration, not of subordination”.
- Sheinbaum’s government has already indicated a willingness to cooperate with Washington on its priority security issues of tackling illegal migration and the synthetic opioid fentanyl. In a press conference on 3 January, Sheinbaum stated that Mexico was “not in favour” of Trump’s plans for mass deportations of irregular migrants, but “we will receive the Mexicans who arrive in our country” and, if the US is unable to send other migrants to their countries of origin, “we can collaborate through different mechanisms”, although noting Mexico would prefer to avoid this.
- Sheinbaum’s government has also made moves to clamp down on fentanyl in recent weeks, hailing a record seizure of the drug, passing legislation against it, and launching an information campaign to prevent drug consumption.
Looking Ahead: In her press conference, Sheinbaum said her government would present ‘Plan Mexico’ on 13 January, which will outline the ways Mexico will continue to attract investment despite uncertainties generated by the change of government in the US.
