Trump says he wants to rename Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’

PALM BEACH, Fla. - President-elect Donald Trump held a press conference from Mar-a-Lago Tuesday morning, his second since winning the election last fall.

Trump called the press conference to announce a major investment in data centers in the United States, and discussed a wide range of topics when taking questions from reporters.

Data centers investment

Trump said an Emirati company led by billionaire Hussain Sajwani, a close business partner of the Trump family, was investing $20 billion for data centers in the United States. 

The investment feeds into an existing boom for constructing data centers used in the development of AI and expansion of cryptocurrency, as well as in other elements of an increasingly digital economy that relies on having greater sources of computer processing power.

Last month, Trump announced he’d secured another investment for the U.S. - $100 billion from SoftBank Group, a Japanese technology group.

‘Gulf of America’

Trump said he has plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" when he plans to take office later this month. 

"Pretty soon, we're going to change because we do most of the work there, and it's ours. We're going to be changing. Sort of the opposite of Biden, where he's closing everything up, essentially getting rid of $50 to $60 trillion worth of assets. We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring that covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate," he said. 

Minutes later on X, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she’ll be introducing legislation "ASAP" to support the name change. 

Panama Canal and Greenland

Trump refused to rule out the use of military force to try to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.

He said U.S. control of both territories is vital to national security. 

"I’m not going to commit to that," he said, when asked if he would rule out the use of the military. "It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country." He added, "We need Greenland for national security purposes." 

His comments came as his oldest son,  Donald Trump Jr., was visiting the territory, heightening speculation that the incoming U.S. administration could seek to acquire it.

President-elect Trump told residents of Greenland that "we’re going to treat you well" ahead of his son's visit.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally and a founding member of NATO. 

Trump’s classified documents case

With Trump’s election, special prosecutor Jack Smith has wrapped up his investigations into Trump’s election interference and classified documents cases. His reports could still be released publicly, with the final decision resting in the hands of Attorney General Merrick Garland.

It is customary for a special counsel to release a final report when his or her work is done, detailing the findings of their investigation and explaining any prosecution or declination decisions they reached as a result of the probe.

But Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche, who is poised to be in a senior role at the Department of Justice, is asking Garland not to release the classified documents report. 

During the press conference, news broke that a judge had temporarily blocked the release of the special counsel's report while the appeals court considers a challenge.

Trump responded to the order by complaining anew about Smith's investigation and saying, "It was a fake case against a political opponent."

Trump’s hush-money case

Trump this week lost an appeal to delay sentencing for his hush-money conviction in New York. His attorneys had asked the judge to postpone sentencing indefinitely while they took the case to a state appeals court.

Judge Juan M. Merchan ordered sentencing to proceed as scheduled on Friday, though he had previously indicated that a sentence of prison time was unlikely.

Trump is expected to appear in court via video; not in person.

Trump inauguration

Congress signed off on Trump’s election victory yesterday. As the vice president, Kamala Harris presided over the session, certifying her own defeat in a peaceful transition of power.

The former president will be inaugurated for his second term on January 20. He has already identified most of the key nominees for his cabinet and other positions, and has been active on the world stage, hosting foreign leaders and commenting on events via social media.

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