Country singer Charley Crockett has risked backlash from Trump supporters after criticizing the president’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico – calling the move an insult to Latinos.
The Texas-born artist sparked a political firestorm this week after denouncing the change, which rebranded the historic body of water as the ‘Gulf of America’ under one of Donald Trump’s early executive orders.
‘I was born on the Gulf of Mexico,’ Crockett, who hails from San Benito in South Texas, wrote on Facebook and Instagram.
‘I don’t recognize it by any other name. Any real Texan knows that our Mexican American brothers and sisters hold up our economy in every industry. I’m proud to have been born in the Rio Grande Valley where the population is over 90 percent Latino.’
Taking a jab at Washington, he added: ‘If those boys in D.C. wanna go renaming regions of this country, they can start with New England. Because it ain’t new and it ain’t England.’
The Gulf of Mexico first appeared on maps in 1550, making Trump’s rebranding one of the most controversial symbolic moves of his new term. Google Maps followed suit in January, updating the name for US users – a change that went largely unnoticed until Crockett’s post reignited debate.
The uproar comes amid a broader cultural clash in country music.
Fellow singer Zach Bryan was criticized this month for teasing a politically charged song, Bad News, which includes the line: ‘ICE is gonna come, bust down your door / Try to build a house no one builds no more.’
Charley Crockett, a Texas-born country singer, has slammed Donald Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America’
Donald Trump unveils a map denoting the Gulf of America
Conservative commentator Tomi Lahren labeled it ‘trash.’
Meanwhile, Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug sparked his own backlash after performing at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, with critics calling his appearance ‘disgusting.’
For Crockett, the debate over what to call the Gulf remains personal. As he put it simply: ‘I was born on the Gulf of Mexico. I don’t recognize it by any other name.’
While many of his fans agreed, the singer faced some backlash for his post.
One wrote: ‘Stick to singin, poser.’
Another added: ‘Trying to join Zack Bryan in going woke n broke?’
While a third said: ‘It’s the Gulf of America, but you’re right on about New England.’
And another called out his historical knowledge: ‘Maybe Gulf of Spain? Or maybe Inca or Mayan. Depends on how far you want to go back.’
The president proclaimed February 8 as Gulf of America day on his way to the Super Bowl as Air Force One flew over the gulf.
‘As my Administration restores American pride in the history of American greatness, it is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America,’ the executive order commemorating the occasion read.
‘We’re flying right over it right now,’ Trump told reporters aboard the plane.
The pilot of Air Force One noted on the loudspeaker the historic occasion of the first time the plane was flying over the body of water.
Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum, who traveled to the president, announced that the name change was quickly processed.
President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation declaring Feb. 9 Gulf of America Day.
Crockett wrote on social media that he refuses to ‘recognize it by any other name’ than the Gulf of Mexico
Google Maps reflects the name change of the Gulf
‘It’s an exciting fun day and great to do this as we are flying over the Gulf of America,’ Burgum said.
Trump said he had not spoken to the government of Mexico about the name change and they had never brought it up.
‘It was our call,’ he said.
The Department of Interior confirmed the name change on January 24, noting the importance of the body of water to the United States.
‘From its rich fisheries, which drive local economies, to its vast reserves of oil and natural gas that have fueled innovation and prosperity, the Gulf of America has consistently been a cornerstone of the Nation’s growth,’ the release read.
For map users in Mexico, however, the gulf will still be displayed as the Gulf of Mexico.
Users in Europe and around the world will see both names reflected on the map, with Gulf of America in parentheses.
Former President Obama first changed the name to Denali in 2015, as a way to recognize the original name for the mountain by Alaskan natives, rather than the name assigned to it by a prospector in the late 19th century and officially by the government in 1917.