"Now Even the Oceans Named After Trump?"... Renaming the Atlantic and Pacific Discussed

Following the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario, U.S. President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of changing the names of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

According to The Washington Post (WP), President Trump mentioned during a midterm election campaign rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on the 10th (local time), saying, "We have a gulf and a beautiful lake," referring to the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario, which he renamed the Gulf of America and Lake America, respectively.

He then said, "Somebody said we need a river too. We need a river. We need an ocean," adding, "Calling it the 'Trump Ocean' or the 'Ocean of the Americas,' something like that."

He added, "I think before I leave office, we should have at least one ocean. And we need a great river, too."

WP interpreted that President Trump hinted at the idea of changing the name of either the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean, and appeared to jokingly mention including his own name in the new title.

Previously, shortly after taking office early last year, President Trump signed an executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

This sparked a diplomatic conflict with Mexico, and he even barred a journalist from The Associated Press, which insisted on using the term Gulf of Mexico, from attending White House events.

Also, last August, he provoked Canada by signing an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario, located on the border between the U.S. and Canada, to Lake America.

U.S. presidents can exercise executive power to change the names of geographical features, including bodies of water.

Private companies providing online map services have also generally accepted the new names designated by President Trump.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.