AILSA CHANG, HOST:
All right. If you open up Google Maps, zoom out and focus on the body of water south of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, you would notice that it is now called the Gulf of America.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order to rename what was known for more than 400 years as the Gulf of Mexico.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We’re flying over a thing called the Gulf of America.
KELLY: That’s Trump on Sunday as he took Air Force One to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. On Monday, the change officially took effect.
CHANG: Now, can a president do that, like, just declare a new name for a body of water that extends well beyond the borders of the U.S.? Short answer, yes, he can within the U.S. But Mexico and the rest of the world don’t have to recognize it. For example, NPR’s Mexico City correspondent Eyder Peralta sent us a screenshot of what he sees on Google Maps, both the new name and the historic name. For our part, NPR is following the Associated Press guidance to use Gulf of Mexico, while acknowledging the new name that President Trump has chosen.
KELLY: The AP Stylebook is a journalism industry standard, though NPR’s standards and practices editor Tony Cavin says our decision may change if Gulf of America enters widespread usage. We’ll also note the AP said yesterday its reporters were barred from two different White House events because of this style decision. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
