Trump And Mexican President Sheinbaum's Spirited Clash Over Territorial Renaming, Tariffs And Cartels

After President-elect Donald Trump proposed the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the "Gulf of America," noting that "It has a beautiful ring," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded with her own territorial renaming suggestion.

Pointing to a large map of North America from 1607 that labeled the continent "Mexican America," Sheinbaum cheerfully suggested going back to the name.

"Why don't we call it Mexican America?" she told reporters Wednesday in Mexico City. "It sounds pretty, no?"

🗣️ La presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum, sin esperar a ser cuestionada por la prensa, ha propuesto nombrar nuevamente esa geografía conjunta como ‘América mexicana': "¿Por qué no le llamamos ‘América mexicana'? Se oye bonito, ¿no?" https://t.co/N7Uwgor5L3

— EL PAÍS México (@elpaismexico) January 8, 2025

Sheinbaum, however, did not take kindly to Trump's remark that Mexico is "essentially run by the cartels."

"They misinformed him," she said. "In Mexico, the people rule."

Sheinbaum told reporters she nevertheless felt certain that Mexico was going to have good relations with Trump.

"And we are going to collaborate and understand each other with the government of President Trump. I am sure of it…defending our sovereignty as a free, independent, and sovereign country."

Not The First Go Round For Trump Vs. Sheinbaum

Trump butted heads with Sheinbaum, a Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist, practically since she was elected by a landslide in October 2024. Their initial conflict began when Trump announced in late November that he was intending to impose 25% tariffs on Mexican imports. Sheinbaum responded that Mexico would do the same if the tariffs went into effect.

Addressing the U.S.'s fentanyl crisis during that same period, Trump essentially laid the blame on Mexico. Again, Sheinbaum begged to differ.

"Neither threats nor tariffs will solve the migration or the drug abuse phenomenon in the US," she said at the time. She called for collaborative solutions to mitigate the escalating drug crisis.

Trump has also indicated he would deport all undocumented individuals to Mexico regardless of where they originally came from. Sheinbaum initially pushed back on that plan though she told Univision recently that Mexico will accept deportees but with conditions, which include the right to limit people of certain nationalities. She added that Mexico may also request compensation.

Meanwhile, other countries that have found themselves the target of Trump's territorial machinations are not as good-humored as Sheinbaum. The President-elect's refusal to rule out using military force to retake the Panama Canal and to get his hands firmly on Greenland has upset leaders as well as residents in both places. Then, of course, there's Canada but surely the president-elect was jesting when he suggested it be named the 51st state.

Now Read:

• Trump Does Not Rule Out Military Force To Acquire Panama Canal, Greenland: ‘We Need Them For Economic Security’

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