The executive order signed on Monday aims to ‘honor American greatness’
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming Mount Denali, the tallest mountain in the US, and the Gulf of Mexico. The text of the order was released by the White House on Monday.
According to the document, titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” the purpose of the renaming is to promote American heritage. Trump had announced the changes in his inaugural speech on Monday.
”The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past,” executive order reads.
The mountain in Alaska will once again be called Mount McKinley, its name from 1917 to 2015, when then-US President Barack Obama returned the peak to its original native name.
’McKinley’ bears the name of the 25th US President William McKinley, who led the US to victory in the Spanish-American War in 1898.
As a result of the peace treaty, Spain relinquished its claim to Cuba, and ceded sovereignty over Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the United States. The US also annexed the independent state of Hawaii during the conflict, thus expanding its territory. McKinley himself never visited Alaska.
The executive order changes the official US term for the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America.”
The body of water, located in the southeastern region of North America and bordered by the US, Mexico and Cuba, “has long been an integral asset” of the nation and is “an indelible part of America,” the executive order states.
It adds that the gulf’s natural resources and wildlife “remain central” to the national economy.
Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, first introduced in his 2016 presidential campaign, has been a cornerstone of his latest political initiatives, with the new executive order emphasizing “American greatness” in its title and linking the restoration of historic names to Trump’s broader vision of national pride.
The renaming moves are part of a flurry of executive orders that Trump signed on Monday. Among them are a ban on government officials violating freedom of speech under the guise of fighting misinformation, a reversal of protections for transgender rights, and a suspension of foreign aid.
