President-elect Donald Trump’s recent proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” which, as he said, has a “beautiful ring to it” appears to be having an interesting reaction among the public.
Donald Trump vowed to apply certain modifications to the geographic map. Along with the Gulf of Mexico renaming plan, several other proposals were indicated as part of a broader discussion on his administration’s branding efforts, including threats of appropriation such as “he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland”. Additionally referring to Canada as the “51st state”.
Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s current president, did not hold back and responded to the situation with a humorous counter-proposal.
During her daily press conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum stood in front of an old global map, showing how the American continent should be referred to as “Mexican America”, due to an 1814 founding document that preceded Mexico’s constitution that referred to it that way. “That sounds nice, no?” she then added with a sarcastic tone, proving the audience she only intended to joke about the situation.
Dan Crenshaw, a U.S. Representative, did not fall behind in the humoristic events. He took advantage of his widely followed X account, which has garnered attention for his occasional humorous posts and witty remarks.
Crenshaw uploaded a comical post to X, the post consists of a geographic map that appears to be the Gulf of Mexico, with a slight modification to the body of water’s name. In this satiric proposal, it was called “Gulf of Buc-ee’s”, referring to the popular chain of convenience stores and gas stations in the United States, particularly known for its large, clean restrooms, vast variety of snacks, and distinctive beaver mascot.
Buc-ee’s hold a special place in Texas culture for several reasons, for instance: iconic Texas brand, road trip culture, Texas hospitality, supporting local products, and a cultural destination. Essentially, Buc-ee’s represents the Texan love for big, bold ideas, friendly service, and community pride.
To foreigners, and in this specific case to Crenshaw’s Tweet/X, the convenience store chain represents a big part of United States of America culture, this accounts for the replacement of the word “America” with “Buc-ee’s” in the original Trump’s proposal.
President-elect Donald Trump’s recent bold proposals had a humorous effect on all the parties involved. The humorous reactions to these threats were not what the Trump administration’s branding efforts were striving to achieve.
