President Trump’s latest Truth Social post brought attention to Delta Air Lines, where he claimed the company is aligning with his “Make America Great Again” agenda.
In his post, he shared a message attributed to a Delta captain that read: “I thought you would get a kick out of this. Delta’s official memo to employees. Big changes Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. And the liberals thought Notice to Airman was racist so they changed it to Notice to Air Missions. Delta just changed it back to Notice to Airman. I think they are finally embracing MAGA.”
The president included a photo of the updated pilot manual, which shows:
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“Gulf of Mexico” changed to “Gulf of America”
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“Notice to Air Mission” revised back to “Notice to Airmen”
These changes follow his January 20, 2025, Executive Order 14172, Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness, which directed the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Delta had not immediately adopted the update, and over the past month social media users circulated images of the airline’s inflight maps, pointing out that they still referenced “Gulf of Mexico.” Examples include:
Hey @delta: it’s just Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico not needed) pic.twitter.com/J1dkeAa76f
— 🇺🇸 Emes Winster 🇺🇸 (@EmesVotes) August 12, 2025
Hey Delta it is NOT the Gulf of Mexico anymore!
Hey Delta it is NOT the Gulf of Mexico anymore! pic.twitter.com/OCHntVSX9L
— Sadie (@Sadie_NC) August 2, 2025
Still, the gulf’s original name has a long history. According to Wikipedia, the term “Gulf of Mexico” dates back to at least 1550 when it first appeared on a world map. A historical account used the name in 1552, and by the 17th century it was common across European references. French Jesuits documented it in 1672, and Spanish admiralty charts from the 18th century sometimes referred to the area as “Mexican Cove” or “Mexican Sound.” The label endured through centuries, including the period when Mexico’s territory extended east to Louisiana before Texas declared independence in 1836.
Scripps News reports that Mexico’s shoreline along the gulf is around 1,743 miles (2,805 kilometers), compared with roughly 1,631 miles (2,625 kilometers) for the U.S. side, making the name historically fitting.
As for me, I think the whole debate is unnecessary. My mom always told me to choose battles wisely and this one doesn’t seem worth it.
