The president of Mexico criticizes Trump for the map of “Mexican America” ​​after his proposal to change the name to “Gulf of America”.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded with sarcasm Wednesday to US President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to a country. “The Gulf of America.”

Standing in front of a 17th-century world map at his daily press conference, Sheinbaum suggested that North America should be renamed “América Mexicana,” or “Mexican America,” because an 1814 document that preceded Mexico’s constitution referred to it that way. .

“That sounds good, doesn’t it?” he added in a sarcastic tone. He also noted that the Gulf of Mexico had been named that way since 1607.

Trump did this at a closed press conference at Mar-a-Lago he didn’t take it out using military or economic coercion to deliver Greenland and the Panama Canal under US control.

“We’re going to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a nice ring to it,” Trump said. “That covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America. What a great name. And it’s right. It’s right. And Mexico should stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country.”

Trump supporter Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she would introduce legislation to do just that Thursday morning.

The exchange has begun to address a major ongoing question about bilateral relations between the two regional governments: How will newly elected Sheinbaum handle Trump’s heavy-handed approach to dealings, with promises of mass deportations and crippling tariffs on trading partners like Mexico?

Sheinbaum’s predecessor and political adviser Andrés Manuel López Obrador – who came from the same populist background as Trump, although leaning to the left – was able to build a relationship with Trump as an ally, and his government began to prevent immigrants from going to the north. under American pressure, which is a blessing for Trump.

But it was unclear if Mexico’s first female president, a scientist and a leftist, lacked the populism of the people that put López Obrador in power, whether she could build a similar relationship.

While Wednesday’s joke quickly went viral on social media, it also set the tone for what the Sheinbaum-Trump relationship could look like in the coming years.

“A joke can be a good strategy, it shows strength, which is what Trump responded with. It was probably the right decision in this matter,” said Brian Winter, vice president of the New York-based Council of the Americas. “Although President Sheinbaum knows it won’t work on everything – Trump and his administration will seek greater cooperation with Mexico on the major issues of immigration, drugs and trade.”

It comes after some strong but mixed responses from Sheinbaum about Trump’s proposals.

Opened Trump’s proposal to cut tariffs by 25%. on Mexican exports, Sheinbaum warned that if the new US administration imposes tariffs on Mexico, his administration will respond with similar measures. He said any kind of tax is “unacceptable and would cause inflation and job losses in the United States and Mexico.”

He has taken a more permissive tone on immigration, consistent with years of Mexico’s efforts to block migrants from heading north amid growing US pressure.

After initially saying his administration would pressure the Trump administration to deport migrants back to their countries, he said in January that Mexico would be open to accepting deportees from other countries, but Mexico could limit them to certain nations or ask for compensation.

Canada also gave a was the sarcastic reply this week on Trump’s latest comments about taking over America’s northern neighbor. According to Canada’s CTV News, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was questioned by a reporter on Monday about Trump’s many threats. impose a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican products in the first hours of his presidency, and making Canada the “51st country.”

“You know something, for the president, I will make him a counteroffer. What if we buy Alaska, and we will throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time,” said Ford.