If it’s scary to again contemplate Trump having the nuclear codes and “football” well, there’s good reason to be scared. However, he’s proven time and again he long ago mastered not WMD as I’ve just referred to but rather ‘Weapons of Mass DISTRACTION.’ Hence his recent declaration that HE has decided unilaterally to rename the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America.’ MAGA goobers creamed their jeans of course over that one but so did some who you’d think would know better. Folks like GOP elected critters and the rabid but not (yet) batshit insane Right Wing pundits. It does however beg the question posed in the title.
First of all, Mexico as noted in this article from telSur isn’t rolling over for this nonsense. In fact, their President trolled Trump on the notion. Standing in front of the map of the world drawn by a Flemish cartographer for the Amsterdam (the Dutch had a lot of influence in the world as bankers) East India company in 1607 Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum pointed noted a couple of things. First of course that the body of water in question was noted as the Gulf of Mexico. But after sticking the knife in Trump’s fat orange gut she gave it a twist by pointing out the land mass of what’s now the United States was listed as “Mexican America!” Remember, we’re talking 1607, long before WE became a country. I’d have loved to be looking in the window when ketchup bottles started flying as Trump saw Sheinbaum trolling him:
In response to Trump’s proposal to rename the area “Gulf of America,” Sheinbaum displayed a world map during her morning press conference, stating it was “edited by a Flemish cartographer for the Amsterdam East India Company” in 1607.
This 17th century map of greater Mexico identifies the body of water as the “Gulf of Mexico” and refers to the current territory of the United States as “Mexican America.”
“Obviously, the Gulf of Mexico is a name recognized by the United Nations, but why don’t we call it Mexican America? It sounds nice, doesn’t it? The Apatzingan Constitution referred to Mexican America, so let’s call it that way,” she said.
Oh dear. It can’t have helped that she put up a tweet that Muskrat apparently didn’t immediately take down. Probably because it was in Spanish and Trump’s English is limited to a few hundred words so no way he’d understand a Spanish person speaking in their langage. Here’s the tweet itself:
Ayer Donald J. Trump dijo que pretende que el Golfo de México pase a llamarse Golfo de América. Hoy le respondió, mapa mediante, Claudia Sheinbaum, presidenta de México: "A Estados Unidos vamos a llamarle América Mexicana, se oye bonito". pic.twitter.com/VBK2rgu8Uc
— Juan Manuel Karg (@jmkarg) January 8, 2025
Here’s the thing: Trump didn’t understand any of what was said but I’m sure eventually he got at least an abbreviated version of the translation of the text which is:
“Yesterday, Donald Trump said that he intends for the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed the Gulf of America. Today, using a map, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded: ‘We are going to call the United States Mexican America. It sounds pretty, doesn’t it?’.”
I know I saw some articles and news coverage that highlighted Sheinbaum standing in front of that 1607 map and saying the “It sounds pretty, doesn’t it?” part. Given he watches more than just Fox (he just HAS to know what real journalists are saying about him) he knows about all this. This was definitely ‘Ketchup bottle? Meet wall!’ time wherever Trump was.
Mexico IS older than the U.S. It’s worth noting the Spanish who colonized it in the late 1400s never even knew it was there until then. Neither did anyone else from Europe. But for thousands of years it had people and cultures. Also keep in mind that long after the United States won its own independence much of what is now the U.S. was part of MEXICO! Texas had no problem being Mexican except they wanted to continue slavery and the authorities said NO. West of Texas most of what are now U.S. states were also part of Mexico, just as originally much of what is now the central and mountain west wasn’t acquired (via the Louisiana Purchase) until 1803. Fun fact – France didn’t actually control most of that territory. It was as you know inhabited mostly by Native Americans and what we bought from France was the “right” to take that land over. One way or another and we all know what means were used but I digress.
For much longer than the United States has been a country the Gulf of Mexico has been recognized around the world as the Gulf of MEXICO. Their President has made it clear as far as she and her country are concerned that’s not going to change no matter what the Orange Shitgibbon decides to “Declare” once he’s back in our White House. I rather doubt the U.N. or the rest of the world will change on the matter either.
Still, when Trumpty gets an idea in his head it’s hard to dislodge it. The dumber the idea the more he fights letting go so let’s play this out just for fun. Trumpy can issue an Executive Order that all maps and globes with ‘Gulf of Mexico’ be replaced with those saying ‘Gulf of America.’ If he’s lucky other countries will just yawn, say ‘whatever’ and ignore him. Fortunately for us a few of them will follow Sheinbaum’s lead and TROLL him. That still leaves the issue of what happens here in the good ole United States.
Will the Department of Education decree replacing all the old maps and globes (and I haven’t yet brought up all the textbooks that have references to the Gulf of Mexico. What about them?) and cut off funding to any state or school that doesn’t? Will the idiot GOP Congress try to pass legislation requiring the change? If so will it be paid for by the federal government or be one of those ‘unfunded mandates’ conservatives love to whine about? I can easily see multiple ruby red GOP state legislatures passing such measures. MAGAs will LOVE it! At least until they all see the bill. That’s a lot of maps and globes and as I just noted if you don’t change the textbooks the whole thing gets watered down.
Enter Trumpty who I’m betting will declare, PROMISE that MEXICO will pay every dime. Tell me you didn’t already think that would be the case. Remember that ‘big, beautiful wall’, something more beautiful than any wall people had ever seen stretching for thousands of miles on the southern border? Trumpty promised it would be built and not a dime would come from American taxpayers. MEXICO would pay for it. To listen to Trumpty spinning what he knew to be bullshit Mexico would offer to pay far more than what it would actually cost, just to prove how important pleasing Trump was to them! It was everything but ‘Big, strong Mexicans coming up with tears in their eyes saying how much can we give? Please allow me the honor of helping you build your wall!’
What happened of course is rather different. Almost every bit of wall built under Trumpty was simply replacing a few hundred miles or so of worn out sections or places where old wall/fencing was gone. Even some of THAT started falling over before he was out of Office! And Mexico didn’t pay one single PENNEY on Trumpty’s big, beautiful wall. MAGAs, the average goober out there just can’t accept that. It ‘does not compute’ in the standard MAGA brain housing group. That’s why I predict that if Trump goes ahead with his rename the Gulf plan (I think he will) when the issue of the cost comes up one of two things will happen. He’ll order teachers to do something like we see in the title picture, or just say ‘Mexico will pay for all the new stuff’, and still have teachers and administrators break out their own Sharpies in the meantime.
Weapons of Mass DISTRACTION. Trump has few skills as I said earlier but he’s pretty damned effective with those. He used his bullshit Wall to great effect. This I think will be the new version of his wall. We can only hope the world laughs in his face again like the U.N. General Assembly has already done. And wonder why Mexico’s President Sheinbaum is so effectively standing up to Trump (not just on this but trade too) and what the hell happened to Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau to have him capitulate the way he did. And lose his ability to remain in power.
I wish my own globe hadn’t been broken years ago when I moved to NC. Just so many days I could look at it and read “Gulf of Mexico” because there’s no chance in hell I’d follow any Trumpian order to change it.
Trudeau’s resignation had nothing to do with trump. He stepped down because he currently leads a minority government and is lagging in the polls. He also lost the support of some key cabinet ministers over budget issues and realized the Liberals could not win the next election with these internal divisions. I give him full credit for putting his country before personal ambition and giving his party the opportunity and time to choose and rally behind a new leader.
While he had no significant part in Trudeau’s departure, trump will almost certainly become a factor in the Canadian election this spring. The Conservative opposition leader, Pierre Polievre, is an inexperienced far-right politico who will be put to the test explaining how he will deal with trump. His political career could end as it has for so many others — on trump hill.