Renaming Reality: Trump’s Gulf Power Play and Media’s Timid Response
To be clear: This isn’t about a name on a map, but about the willingness of news organizations to bend to political pressure, and what that means for the future. As Darcy writes, “If American journalists flinch at merely calling a centuries-old body of water what it has always been known as, what will they flinch at next?” He’s absolutely right to point out that “this isn’t saying that anyone should write a piece that’s like, ‘Here at the Trump rally, I stand among thousands of uniquely evil beings!’ because that’s not the point—and they’re not uniquely evil, they’re people.”
What’s particularly concerning is that this isn’t happening in a vacuum. Trump has openly talked about annexing Canada, seizing control of the Panama Canal, taking Greenland, and claiming the Gaza Strip. The Gulf of Mexico renaming looks suspiciously like a test balloon—seeing how much resistance he’ll face when making larger territorial claims.
The most disturbing part is how quickly this linguistic capitulation happened. We’re not talking about years of pressure—this happened within months of Trump taking office. If they can’t even call the Gulf of Mexico by its name, how can we trust news organizations to stand firm on matters of constitutional rights, democratic norms, or international law?