The future President of the United States Donald Trump said that he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
This is his latest plan as he prepares to take office later this month.
“We are going to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful sound“, he said, CNBC reported, quoted by NOVA.
“That is appropriate. And Mexico should stop letting millions of people flow into our country“, Trump added.
He made his comment while complaining that the United States has a large trade deficit with both Mexico and Canada. Trump expressed similar concerns after winning the November election and vowed to impose steep tariffs on both neighbors.
Both outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo have spoken with Trump in recent months about his tariff threats. On Tuesday, Trump called Mexico a "very dangerous place" that is "essentially run by the cartels." He suggested that Canada join the United States after Trudeau announced his resignation on Monday.
Donald Trump also urged NATO members to increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP, underscoring his long-standing claims that they do not pay enough to defend the United States.
“They can all afford it, but it should be 5%, not 2%“, the future US president said.
Trump has long been skeptical of NATO, a cornerstone of European security since World War II, and last month repeated a familiar threat to leave the alliance if its members do not increase their spending.
“If they pay their bills and if I think they treat us fairly, the answer is: I would absolutely stay in NATO,“ he stressed.
In 2023 The 32-nation transatlantic alliance has set a minimum defense spending target of two percent of gross domestic product, and Russia's war in Ukraine has prompted NATO to bolster its eastern flank and increase spending.
Trump is not the only senior official calling for an increase - NATO chief Mark Rutte also said last month that "we will need much more than two percent."
In his first major speech since taking office as NATO secretary general, Rutte also warned that European countries were unprepared for the threat of a future war with Russia, urging them to "step up" your defense spending.