Trump’s Name Changes: A Journey from the Gulf of Mexico to Fort Bragg
President Donald Trump has consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of branding. As an entrepreneur and celebrity, he branded his businesses by naming them after himself and licensing his name to various products from hotels to wines. Now, in what could be seen as the boldest move yet, he is attempting to rebrand America itself.
On his first day back in office, Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Additionally, Denali, which has been known as Mount McKinley since 1912 but is actually the indigenous name for this Alaskan peak named after President William McKinley, will revert to its original native name. Furthermore, Fort Bragg in North Carolina will once again bear that name C however this time it refers not to a Confederate general who was posthumously renamed under military directive following George Floyd’s death and national protests against systemic racism but instead honors Private First Class Roland Bragg of World War II.
Trump is by no means the first US president to rename landmarks. Former President Barack Obama, for instance, changed Mount McKinley back to Denali in response to lobbying from Alaskans who felt it was important that a mountain named after a state be called by its native name. Similarly, George W Bush renamed what had been known as the Caribbean National Forest on Puerto Rico’s El Yunque Peak and then later added another military base renaming effort post-George Floyd murder where several bases were reassigned names away from Confederate figures like Robert E Lee.
In 2023 under President Joe Bidens administration, nine US military installations named after former Confederates were officially renamed. The act of naming places reflects how leaders perceive the nation and its values at any given time C with Trump’s recent actions demonstrating a desire to reshape America’s collective memory by altering geographic names associated strongly with past conflicts or controversial figures.
However, these changes have not been universally accepted. For example, while many Alaskans supported changing Denalis name back to what is considered its rightful native designation; a Marquette University poll suggested that most Americans did not support renaming the Gulf of Mexico after their country – with only 29% in favor according to recent surveys.
This week marks an interesting development when Pentagon official Pete Hegseth announced that Fort Bragg would be renamed back to its former name, honoring Roland L. Bragg from WWII instead of a Confederate general which led to divided opinions among lawmakers and locals alike. Google Maps is also now displaying the Gulf as “Gulf of America” on maps for US users.
Trump’s symbolic renaming campaigns reveal how much power naming can hold in shaping perceptions about national identity and history – going beyond mere geography into broader conversations about what stories we want to tell ourselves collectively about our country. As these changes continue, their long-term impact remains to be seen but the debate surrounding them certainly shows no signs of abating anytime soon.
