Offshore workers examine hydrocarbon samples aboard the Chevron Corp. Jack/St. Malo deepwater oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, U.S., on Friday, May 18, 2018.
Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Energy giant Chevron used the phrase “Gulf of America” repeatedly in its earnings release Friday, adhering to a directive made by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office.
Chevron previously used “Gulf of Mexico” to refer to that body of water, which stretches from Texas to Florida on the southeastern border of the U.S. to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and as far east as Cuba. Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
“The Gulf will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy, and in recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that it officially be renamed the Gulf of America,” the White House order said.
It does not appear the order would have the legal authority to force companies to change their communications around activities in the Gulf. Chevron’s rival, Exxon Mobil, referred to the region as “U.S. Gulf Coast” in its latest quarterly report, which was the same wording it used before the order.
The move by Chevron is another example of American companies seemingly growing more willing to publicly align with Trump in his second term in the White House. Many companies, including Meta Platforms, have rolled back their diversity initiatives at the same time as Trump is pushing for similar changes in federal agencies.
Chevron also gave $2 million to Trump’s inauguration.
The executive order directs the secretary of the Interior to make the name change for federal communications and data systems within 30 days. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an arm of the Commerce Department, was still using “Gulf of Mexico” as of Friday.
